Sauroposeidon

earthquake-god lizard (lizard of Poseidon)

• sauros · Greek · lizard
• Poseidon · Greek · Greek god of the sea, storms and earthquakes

The name combines the Greek "sauros" (lizard) with Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea and also of earthquakes. It was chosen because the giant sauropod's huge size was likened to an earthquake-causing deity, and because the fossils were found in an area that was once a coastal shoreline of a sea. The type species is Sauroposeidon proteles.

Named by

Wedel, Cifelli and Sanders

Year named

2000

Period

Early Cretaceous

Stages

Aptian – Albian

Found in

Antlers Formation, Oklahoma, USA

A very large, long-necked titanosauriform sauropod known mainly from neck vertebrae; it was among the tallest known dinosaurs. Some authors have suggested it may be a synonym of Paluxysaurus, but it is generally treated as a valid genus. Exact stage dating (Aptian–Albian) is approximate.