Zatomus

cut in pieces / divided

• za- · Greek · intensive prefix (very, thoroughly)
• tomos · Greek · cut, cutting

The name *Zatomus* comes from the Greek intensive prefix *za-* (thoroughly) combined with *tomos* (cut), giving an overall sense of "thoroughly cut" or "cut in pieces." It was likely chosen in reference to the fragmentary or sectioned nature of the fossil material, or possibly to distinctive features of the teeth or bones. The name was published by Edward Drinker Cope in 1875.

Named by

Cope

Year named

1875

Period

Late Triassic

Stages

Carnian – Norian

Found in

Newark Supergroup, North Carolina, USA

Zatomus is generally regarded as a nomen dubium. It was based on very fragmentary dental and skeletal material from the Late Triassic Newark Supergroup of North Carolina. It has been tentatively classified as an archosaur or early dinosauriform, but the material is too incomplete to assign it confidently to any precise group or to diagnose it as a valid genus. Some sources have questioned whether it belongs to Dinosauria at all.