Gyposaurus
GY-poh-SORE-us /ˌdʒaɪpoʊˈsɔːrəs/
Synonym of Massospondylus
vulture lizard (probably)
- gyps · Greek · vulture
- sauros · Greek · lizard
The name is usually given as combining the Greek "gyps" (vulture) with "sauros" (lizard), so "vulture lizard". It was coined by Robert Broom in 1911 for a small early sauropodomorph from southern Africa. I am not certain of Broom's exact reason for choosing the root, so treat the vulture link as the standard translation and not a confirmed rationale.
- Named by
- Broom
- Year named
- 1911
- Period
- Early Jurassic
- Found in
- Elliot Formation, South Africa
Gyposaurus (type species G. capensis) is generally regarded as a junior synonym of the early sauropodomorph Massospondylus. A Chinese species, G. sinensis, was later named but is not considered to belong to the same genus. The etymology rationale and some details are not fully verified.