Massospondylus

massive vertebra

• massōn · Greek · larger, longer (comparative of 'great')
• spondylos · Greek · vertebra

The name comes from Greek words meaning "longer" or "massive" and "vertebra". Richard Owen chose it in 1854 because the vertebrae of the first specimens were notably elongated compared with those of other animals known to him at the time. It is a sauropodomorph (an early relative of the long-necked sauropods) known from many specimens, including embryos found in eggs.

Named by

Owen

Year named

1854

Period

Early Jurassic

Stages

Hettangian – Pliensbachian

Found in

Elliot and Clarens Formations (South Africa, Lesotho) and the Forest Sandstone (Zimbabwe)

Type species is Massospondylus carinatus. Its position as a non-sauropod sauropodomorph (a "prosauropod") is generally accepted. Stage range is approximate.