Haplocanthosaurus

simple-spined lizard

• haplous · Greek · simple, single
• akantha · Greek · thorn, spine
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines Greek words for "simple", "spine" and "lizard". It refers to the neural spines of the vertebrae, which are single (not divided or forked) compared with the split spines of some other sauropods. It was originally given by Hatcher to a specimen first described under the name Haplocanthus, which turned out to be already in use for a fish.

Named by

Hatcher

Year named

1903

Period

Late Jurassic

Stages

Kimmeridgian – Tithonian

Found in

Morrison Formation, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, USA

A sauropod, often considered a basal neosauropod. Hatcher first named it Haplocanthus in 1903, but that name was preoccupied by a fish, so he replaced it with Haplocanthosaurus the same year. The type species is H. priscus; H. delfsi is the other species.