Lessemsaurus

Lessem's lizard

• Lessem · Surname (English) · Don Lessem, American dinosaur author and popularizer
• sauros · Greek · lizard

Lessemsaurus means "Lessem's lizard". It honours Don Lessem, an American author and dinosaur popularizer who supported palaeontological work in Argentina. The second part is the Greek "sauros" (lizard), the usual ending for dinosaur names. The only named species, L. sauropoides, has a species name meaning "sauropod-like", because this early sauropodomorph was large and resembled true sauropods.

Named by

Bonaparte

Year named

1999

Period

Late Triassic

Stage

Norian

Found in

Los Colorados Formation, Argentina

A large, early-branching sauropodomorph (not a true sauropod), often placed in the group Lessemsauridae with relatives such as Antetonitrus and Ledumahadi.