Kentrosaurus

spiked lizard (pointed lizard)

• kentron · Greek · point, spike, prickle
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines the Greek words "kentron" (point or spike) and "sauros" (lizard). It refers to the pairs of long spikes along the animal's back and tail, which is characteristic of this stegosaur. The genus was named by Edwin Hennig after fossils found at Tendaguru in what was then German East Africa.

Named by

Hennig

Year named

1915

Period

Late Jurassic

Stages

Kimmeridgian – Tithonian

Found in

Tendaguru Formation, Lindi Region, Tanzania

A stegosaurian dinosaur. The type species is Kentrosaurus aethiopicus. It was originally named Kentrurosaurus as a replacement name in 1916 because of a mistaken concern about preoccupation, but Kentrosaurus is the valid name. Some sources list the stage range as Kimmeridgian to Tithonian.