Ornithotarsus

bird ankle

• ornitho- · Greek · bird
• tarsos · Greek · ankle / flat of the foot

The name combines the Greek 'ornithos' (bird) and 'tarsos' (ankle or flat of the foot). It was chosen to draw attention to the bird-like structure of the ankle bones of this animal. Such a name was typical of the 19th-century practice of highlighting anatomical features that linked large dinosaurs to birds.

Named by

Cope

Year named

1869

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Maastrichtian

Found in

New Jersey, USA

Ornithotarsus immanis was named by E.D. Cope in 1869 on the basis of fragmentary material from the Navesink Formation of New Jersey. It is generally considered a nomen dubium because the remains are too incomplete to confidently diagnose the genus. It has historically been associated with hadrosaur-grade ornithopods, but the material cannot be reliably distinguished. It is not currently regarded as a valid genus.