Secernosaurus

Say it like this: “see-SER-no-SAWR-us”

Secernosaurus koerneri

Secernosaurus ate plants and walked on two or four legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Argentina.

Quiz me on Secernosaurus

When: Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago
Named in: 1979 · Brett-Surman, M. K.
Hip height: 1.3 m · 4 ft
Length: 3 m · 10 ft
Weight: 360 kg · 794 lb
Found in: Argentina · Lago Colhué Huapi
Food and walking: Herbivore · Two or four legs
Kind: beaked plant-eater · Ornithopod
Family branch: Saurolophinae

The story in short

Secernosaurus was formally named in 1979 by M. K. Brett-Surman. The name means “severed lizard.”

Fossils referred to Secernosaurus date to the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago. Finds come from Argentina, including the Lago Colhué Huapi Formation. It was a herbivore and could move on two or four legs.

Published estimates put Secernosaurus at a length near 3 m, hips about 1.3 m high, and a body mass around 360 kg.

On the family tree it sits in Saurolophinae, among the ornithopod dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Acristavus

Acristavus gagslarsoni

Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago

Ahshislesaurus

Ahshislesaurus wimani

Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago

Anasazisaurus

Anasazisaurus horneri

Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago