Nodosaurus

knobbed lizard

• nodus · Latin · knob, node
• sauros · Greek · lizard

Nodosaurus means "knobbed lizard" or "node lizard". It combines the Latin nodus (knob) with the Greek sauros (lizard). Marsh chose the name because of the knob-like or nodular ridges on the ribs and armor of the type specimen, an armored ankylosaur.

Named by

Marsh

Year named

1889

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Cenomanian

Found in

Frontier Formation, Wyoming, USA

Type species Nodosaurus textilis. It is an armored ankylosaurian dinosaur and the type genus of the family Nodosauridae. The material is fragmentary, so the genus is poorly known. The stage and locality are given from memory and are less certain than the rest.