Limusaurus

mud lizard

• limus · Latin · mud
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines the Latin "limus" (mud) with the Greek "sauros" (lizard). It refers to the fact that the first specimens were found in the sediments of an ancient lake or pond, where the animals appear to have been trapped in mud. The type species is Limusaurus inextricabilis, with the species name meaning "inextricable", also referring to the animals being stuck in the mud.

Named by

Xu et al.

Year named

2009

Period

Late Jurassic

Stage

Oxfordian

Found in

Shishugou Formation, Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, China

A small ceratosaurian theropod. Notable for losing its teeth as it matured, developing a toothless beak, and for evidence of a herbivorous adult diet. Its hand anatomy has been important in discussions of digit homology in theropods.