Noasaurus

northwest Argentina lizard

• NOA · Spanish (acronym) · Noroeste Argentino (northwestern Argentina)
• sauros · Greek · lizard

Noasaurus means "northwest Argentina lizard". The "Noa" part is an acronym for Noroeste Argentino, the region of Argentina where the fossils were found, and "saurus" is Greek for lizard. It was named for its place of discovery, in Salta Province.

Named by

Bonaparte and Powell

Year named

1980

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Maastrichtian

Found in

Lecho Formation, Salta Province, Argentina

A small abelisauroid theropod, the type genus of the Noasauridae. It was originally thought to have a large sickle-shaped claw on the second toe, but that claw is now thought to be a manual (hand) claw.