Lirainosaurus

slender lizard

• liraina · Basque · slender, delicate
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines the Basque word "lirain", meaning slender or delicate, with the Greek "sauros", meaning lizard. It was chosen because this small titanosaur was gracile compared with other, larger sauropods. The Basque word nods to the Basque Country region of Spain, where the fossils were found.

Named by

Sanz, Powell, Le Loeuff, Martínez and Pereda Suberbiola

Year named

1999

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stages

Campanian – Maastrichtian

Found in

Laño quarry, Condado de Treviño, Burgos (Basque-Cantabrian region), Spain

A small titanosaurian sauropod; the type species is Lirainosaurus astibiae. Fossils are fragmentary, and the exact age of the Laño site is usually given as late Campanian to early Maastrichtian. The stage range is therefore approximate.