Lurdusaurus

heavy lizard

• lurdus · Latinized from French 'lourd' · heavy
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines a Latinized form of the French word "lourd" (heavy) with the Greek "sauros" (lizard), so it means "heavy lizard". It was chosen because Lurdusaurus was an unusually stocky, robust iguanodont-line plant-eater, much more heavily built than its relatives. The only known species is Lurdusaurus arenatus.

Named by

Taquet and Russell

Year named

1999

Period

Early Cretaceous

Stage

Aptian

Found in

Elrhaz Formation, Gadoufaoua, Niger

A large, broad-bodied iguanodontian (styracosternan) ornithopod, roughly 9 m long, with stout limbs and a wide chest; some researchers have suggested it may have lived a semi-aquatic or wetland-adapted lifestyle. Dating of the Elrhaz Formation is approximate (Aptian, possibly extending into the Albian).