Podokesaurus

swift-footed lizard

• podokes · Greek · swift-footed
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines the Greek "podokes" (swift-footed) with "sauros" (lizard). Mignon Talbot chose it in 1911 because the slender limbs of the small skeleton suggested a light, fast-running animal. The type species is Podokesaurus holyokensis, named after Mount Holyoke, where the fossil was found.

Named by

Talbot

Year named

1911

Period

Early Jurassic

Found in

Portland Formation, near South Hadley (Mount Holyoke College area), Massachusetts, USA

A small early theropod, generally regarded as a coelophysoid. It was the first dinosaur skeleton found in New England and was described by Mignon Talbot, one of the first women to describe a dinosaur. The only known specimen was destroyed in a 1916 fire at Mount Holyoke College, so it is known only from the original description, photographs and a cast or mold of part of it. This limits what can be said about its anatomy and relationships.