Open Paleo

Lurdusaurus

Taquet & Russell, 1999 LOOR-duh-SAWR-us

From Latin 'lurdus' meaning 'heavy' and Greek 'sauros' meaning 'lizard', hence 'heavy lizard', in reference to its massive proportions. The species name 'arenatus' is Latin for 'sandy', as it was found in a desert.

121.4–113.2 million years ago Aptian, Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous stages

Lurdusaurus is a genus of massive and unusually shaped iguanodont dinosaur from the Elrhaz Formation in Niger. It contains one species, L. arenatus. The formation dates to the Early Cretaceous, roughly 112 million years ago.

Diagnosis

  1. Massively proportioned iguanodontid with unusually robust skeletal construction throughout
  2. Cervical centra approximately equal in length to dorsal centra (unlike European species where cervicals are 60-90% of dorsal length)
  3. Radius approximately 54.5% the length of humerus (much shorter than typical iguanodontids)
  4. Metacarpals approximately 17% the length of humerus (short and robust, graviporteur type)
  5. Quadrate extremely short, approximately twice the average length of dorsal centra
  6. Tibia 84.5% the length of femur (very short hindlimb relative to body size)
  7. Forelimbs and hindlimbs short relative to dorsal centrum length (60-70% shorter than in European species)

Species

Lurdusaurus arenatus Taquet & Russell, 1999

Type species

From Latin 'arenatus' meaning 'sandy', because the holotype was found in a desert environment at the Gadoufaoua site of Niger.

Holotype
MNHN GDF 1700 , Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle
Material
Nearly complete skeleton, missing portions of midsection cranium, sacrum, and much of pes.
Horizon
GAD 5 Bed, Elrhaz Formation, Aptian, Early Cretaceous , 121.4–113.2 million years ago
Locality
Camp des deux arbres, Gadoufaoua, Agadez, Niger

Synonyms of the genus

Name Type Reason
Gravisaurus nomen nudum Informal name; never met ICZN requirements for formal publication and is treated as referable to Lurdusaurus. Per Olshevsky's Dinosaur Genera List.

References

  1. Taquet, P.; Russell, D. A. (1999). A massively-constructed iguanodont from Gadoufaoua, lower Cretaceous of Niger. Annales de Paléontologie 85(1): 85-96. Elsevier BV. doi:10.1016/s0753-3969(99)80009-3 taquet1999a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Ornithischians. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the appearance features.

    jones2026a