Nanosaurus

dwarf lizard

• nanos · Greek · dwarf
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines the Greek word "nanos", meaning dwarf, with "sauros", meaning lizard. Othniel Charles Marsh chose it because the type specimen, Nanosaurus agilis, was a small, lightly built animal. The species name "agilis" is Latin for nimble.

Named by

Marsh

Year named

1877

Period

Late Jurassic

Found in

Morrison Formation, Garden Park near Cañon City, Colorado, USA

The type species is Nanosaurus agilis. The material is fragmentary. Many researchers treat the genus as a nomen dubium, a small basal neornithischian that cannot be reliably diagnosed. Some fossils once assigned to it have been moved to other genera, such as Othnielosaurus and Drinker. Its status is debated, so check recent literature.