Sinosaurus

Chinese lizard

• Sino · Medieval Latin / Late Latin (from Greek) · China, Chinese
• sauros · Greek · lizard

The name combines "Sino-", a prefix meaning Chinese, with the Greek "sauros" (lizard), so it means "Chinese lizard". It was chosen because the first fossils came from China. The type species, Sinosaurus triassicus, was named by C.C. Young in 1948 from material found in Yunnan Province.

Named by

Young

Year named

1948

Period

Early Jurassic

Stages

Hettangian – Sinemurian

Found in

Lufeng Formation, Yunnan, China

A medium-sized crested theropod, similar to Dilophosaurus. The species name "triassicus" reflects an early belief that the rocks were Triassic, but they are now regarded as Early Jurassic. The exact stage range is approximate. Other species have been assigned to the genus, and these assignments have been debated.