Griphosaurus
GRIF-oh-SORE-us /ˌɡrɪfəˈsɔːrəs/
Synonym of Archaeopteryx
riddle lizard
- griphos · Greek · riddle, puzzle
- sauros · Greek · lizard
Griphosaurus was coined by Andreas Wagner in 1861 for the London specimen of what is now called Archaeopteryx. The name means "riddle lizard" or "puzzle lizard". Wagner used it, in the species name Griphosaurus problematicus, because he thought the feathered fossil was an enigmatic reptile.
- Named by
- Wagner
- Year named
- 1861
- Period
- Late Jurassic
- Stage
- Tithonian
- Found in
- Solnhofen Limestone, Bavaria, Germany
Junior synonym of Archaeopteryx, which Hermann von Meyer named in 1861. Archaeopteryx is a feathered, bird-like theropod (an early avialan). Wagner's name is no longer used.