Hypselosaurus

high lizard

• hypselos · Greek · high, lofty, tall
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name Hypselosaurus combines the Greek words 'hypselos' (ὑψηλός), meaning 'high' or 'lofty', and 'sauros' (σαῦρος), meaning 'lizard'. It was likely given in reference to the animal's great size and tall stature — it was one of the largest sauropods known from Europe at the time of its description. The name reflects the 19th-century convention of using Greek roots to evoke an imposing or elevated character.

Named by

Matheron

Year named

1869

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Maastrichtian

Found in

Aix-en-Provence region, southern France

Hypselosaurus is a titanosaur sauropod known from fragmentary remains including limb bones and, notably, very large eggs found in southern France that were once attributed to it. It is currently considered a nomen dubium because the material is too incomplete to reliably diagnose the genus. The eggs, once famous as the largest dinosaur eggs known, are now treated as belonging to an indeterminate titanosaur rather than definitively to Hypselosaurus.