Scelidosaurus

limb lizard (“hind-limb lizard”)

• skelis (scelis) · Greek · hind limb, leg
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines the Greek "skelis", meaning limb or leg, with "sauros", meaning lizard. Richard Owen chose it in 1859 because of the well-developed, robust hind limb bones in the first specimen described. It means "limb lizard".

Named by

Owen

Year named

1859

Period

Early Jurassic

Stages

Sinemurian – Pliensbachian

Found in

Charmouth Mudstone Formation, Dorset, England, UK

Type species is Scelidosaurus harrisonii. It is an early armoured dinosaur, usually placed as a basal thyreophoran or close to the base of Eurypoda. The exact stage range is given from memory and could be off.