Elaphrosaurus
el-AF-roh-SORE-us /ɛlˌæfrəˈsɔːrəs/
Accepted genus
light-footed lizard
- elaphros · Greek · light, nimble
- sauros · Greek · lizard
The name combines the Greek "elaphros" (light, nimble) with "sauros" (lizard). It was chosen because the animal's slender, lightly built skeleton suggested a swift, agile runner. The type fossils come from the Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania.
- Named by
- Janensch
- Year named
- 1920
- Period
- Late Jurassic
- Stages
- Kimmeridgian – Tithonian
- Found in
- Tendaguru Formation, Tanzania
A ceratosaurian theropod, often placed in Noasauridae or Elaphrosauria. Its relationships have been debated. The name was published by Werner Janensch in 1920.