Ouranosaurus

brave monitor lizard (valiant lizard)

• ouran · Arabic (via Egyptian Arabic 'waran') · monitor lizard; often rendered 'brave'
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name Ouranosaurus is taken from the Arabic word "ouran" (waran), meaning monitor lizard, and the Greek "sauros", meaning lizard. It is often translated as "brave monitor lizard" or "valiant lizard". It refers to the Tuareg/Arabic word for monitor lizards, and the fossils come from the Sahara in Niger.

Named by

Taquet

Year named

1976

Period

Early Cretaceous

Stage

Aptian

Found in

Elrhaz Formation, Gadoufaoua, Niger

An iguanodontian ornithopod (hadrosauriform) known for the tall neural spines on its back, which may have supported a sail or hump. The "brave" rendering is a common popular translation; the root is the Arabic word for monitor lizard.