Minotaurasaurus

Minotaur lizard

• Minotaura- · Greek · the Minotaur, the bull-headed monster of Greek myth (from Minos + tauros, 'bull')
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name means "Minotaur lizard". It refers to the Minotaur, the bull-headed monster of Greek myth, because the ankylosaurid's skull had horn-like projections and a bull-like look. The type skull was reportedly collected in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and then illegally exported.

Named by

Miles and Miles

Year named

2009

Period

Late Cretaceous

Found in

Gobi Desert, Mongolia (exact locality uncertain; the specimen was exported illegally)

Minotaurasaurus ivani was an ankylosaurid. Later studies (e.g. Arbour et al. 2014) treat it as a junior synonym of Tarchia. Its exact locality and age are uncertain because the specimen was not collected under controlled conditions.