Rhodanosaurus

Rhône lizard

• Rhodanos · Greek/Latin · the Rhône (river)
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines the Latinised Greek name for the Rhône River, 'Rhodanos', with the Greek word 'sauros' meaning lizard. It was named in reference to the Rhône region of southern France, where the fossils were discovered. The name therefore means 'Rhône lizard', honouring the geographic origin of the specimen.

Named by

Nopsca

Year named

1929

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stages

Campanian – Maastrichtian

Found in

Southern France

Rhodanosaurus is an ankylosaur (nodosaurid) known from very fragmentary remains from the Late Cretaceous of southern France (the Rhône region). It was named by Nopsca in 1929. Due to the poor quality and fragmentary nature of the material, it is generally regarded as a nomen dubium — the remains are insufficient to confidently diagnose it as a distinct genus. It is a true dinosaur (an armoured ornithischian).