Syrmosaurus
SIR-moh-SORE-us /ˌsɜrmоˈsɔːrəs/
Synonym of Pinacosaurus
trailing lizard
- syrma · Greek · something dragged or trailing (a trailing robe)
- sauros · Greek · lizard
The name combines the Greek "syrma", meaning something dragged or trailing, with "sauros", meaning lizard, giving roughly "trailing lizard". It is usually taken to refer to the long tail of this armoured dinosaur. It was coined by the Russian paleontologist Evgeny Maleev for ankylosaur remains from Mongolia.
- Named by
- Maleev
- Year named
- 1952
- Period
- Late Cretaceous
- Stage
- Campanian
- Found in
- Gobi Desert, Mongolia (Djadochta Formation)
Syrmosaurus (type species S. viminicaudus) is now regarded as a junior synonym of the ankylosaurid Pinacosaurus, which Gilmore named in 1933. The etymology given is the commonly cited interpretation, so treat the exact reason for the name with some caution.