sauro-, saur-, -saurus, -saurid, -saur,
-sauria, -saurian +

A “heavy-bodied lizard” from Late Cretaceous India. Its name comes from Sanskrit bruhathkaya, “heavy-bodied”. Named by P. Yadagiri and K. Ayyasami in 1989.

A “large-cheek lizard” from Late Cretaceous South Dakota, North America. Its name comes from Greek, bou- through Latin, bu-, “huge” and Latin gena, “cheek”. The fossil was originally attributed to the Thescelosaurus. Named by British paleontologist Peter M. Galton in 1995.

The name means, “inflated lizards” from Latin bullatus, “inflated” or bulla, “hollow swelling”. It is believed to have existed in the Late Cretaceous period.

This nomenclature (“near lizard”) is no longer recognized by scientists because they found that it described an animal that was previously given another name which is Aristosuchus; meaning, “best crocodile” from the Early Cretaceous Isle of Wight, England. Named by British paleontologist Richard Lydekker in 1891.

This “Callaway’s lizard” is from Early Cretaceous and was named in honor of Jack M. Callaway (1930-1997), about whom it was said that in his brief career as a vertebrate paleontologist, he did much to improve understanding of marine reptiles. The fossil was found in the Paja Formation (Upper Aptian), near Villa de Leiva, Provincia Boyaca, Colombia. It was named by Kenneth Carpenter (Denver Museum of Natural History) in 1999.

“Callovian lizard” from Middle Jurassic England. Named in 1980 for the Callovian rock bed from which its thigh bone came. Its name comes from the Latin (Callovium) for Chalivoy-Milon, France, which is the source of the term “Callovian-period”. Named by Canadian paleontologist Philip J. Currie in 1980.

Hollow chambers in the backbone contributed to the naming of this family as “chambered lizards.” These sauropods lived in western North America and East Asia.

A “chambered lizard” from Late Jurassic Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming (USA). Formerly known as Amphicoelias and Uintasaurus. Named by Edward Drinker Cope (1840-1897) in 1877.

Called “Camp’s lizard” from Late Triassic Bluewater Creek Formation of the Chinle Group, Late Carnian of Arizona. It was named for Charles Lewis Camp (1893-1975), an American vertebrate paleontologist, who excavated the Placerias quarry. Named by Adrian Paul Hunt, Frederic Augustus Lucas (1852-1929), Andrew Heckert, Robert M. Sullivan, and Martin Lockley (University of Colorado-Denver geologist) in 1998.

Bigger and less agile than their ancestors, the tiny, bird-hipped bipeds like Hypsilophodon.

A “bent” or “flexible lizard” from Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous England and western North America (Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming). This creature was formerly called Cumnoria and Symphyrosaurus. Named by Othniel Charles Marsh (1831-1899) in 1885.

“Carcharodon (or shark-toothed) lizard” from Late Cretaceous period and found in what is now known as the Sahara Desert (southeastern Morocco in 1995). This lizard was named for the Greek (karkharodon, “jagged toothed”) Carcharodon, the great white shark. Named by German paleontologist Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach in 1931.

A “flesh lizard” including all of the larger theropods.

As time passed, larger kinds of carnosaur seemed to have replaced the earlier types.

A “flesh (or meat-eating) lizard”, Early Cretaceous southern Argentina, included all the larger theropods. As time passed, larger kinds of carnosaur seemed to have replaced the earlier types.

Named “Case’s lizard” from Late Triassic Crosby County, Texas. Named in honor of Ermine Cowles Case (1871-1953), an American vertebrate paleontologist. Named by Adrian Paul Hunt, Frederic Augustus Lucas (1852-1929), Andrew Heckert, Robert M. Sullivan, and Martin Lockley (University of Colorado-Denver geologist) in 1998.