Orosaurus

mountain lizard

• oros · Greek · mountain
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name Orosaurus combines the Greek word 'oros' (ὄρος), meaning 'mountain', with 'sauros' (σαῦρος), meaning 'lizard'. It was coined to reflect the mountainous terrain of the region where the fossil material was recovered. The name is therefore a straightforward geographical reference, meaning 'mountain lizard'.

Named by

Huxley

Year named

1867

Period

Late Triassic

Stage

Norian

Found in

South Africa

Orosaurus is generally regarded as a nomen dubium. It was originally described by T. H. Huxley in 1867 from fragmentary material from the Late Triassic of South Africa. The remains are too incomplete to reliably diagnose a distinct genus, and the name has historically been considered doubtful. It was sometimes linked to prosauropod dinosaurs (sauropodomorph relatives), but its exact affinities remain uncertain.