Afrovenator (AF-roh-ven-AH-tor; “African hunter”) is a genus of megalosaurid theropod dinosaur that roamed the plains of what is now North Africa during the Middle Jurassic period, approximately 170 to 164 million years ago. The name Afrovenator comes from the Latin words “Afro,” meaning African, and “venator,” meaning hunter, reflecting its predatory nature and the continent […]
Agathaumas (AG-ah-THAW-mus; “Great Wonder”) is a genus of large ceratopsian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period, living approximately 66 million years ago in what is now Wyoming, USA. The name was given by paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope in 1872, based on very large but incomplete fossil remains discovered earlier that year by Fielding Bradford Meek
Agilisaurus (AJ-ih-lih-SAWR-us; “Agile lizard”) is a genus of small, plant-eating ornithischian dinosaur that lived during the Middle Jurassic period, approximately 168 to 161 million years ago. Its fossils were discovered in what is now Sichuan Province, China. The dinosaur was named by paleontologist Peng Guangzhao in 1990. The name Agilisaurus was chosen because its light
Agnosphitys (ag-NOS-fih-tiss; “unknown lineage”) is a genus of archosaur, possibly an early dinosaur or a close relative, that lived during the Late Triassic period, around 205 to 200 million years ago. Its fossils were discovered in Somerset, England. The name Agnosphitys refers to the uncertainty paleontologists have had about its exact place in the reptile
Agrosaurus (AG-roh-SAWR-us; “field lizard”) is a genus of herbivorous dinosaur whose classification has been a subject of much scientific debate. Originally thought to have lived during the Early Jurassic period in Australia, the fossils attributed to Agrosaurus are now believed by many paleontologists to have come from England and likely belong to a different, already
Agujaceratops (ah-GOO-hah-SEH-rah-tops; “Agua horn-face”) is a genus of chasmosaurine ceratopsid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 77 million years ago. Its fossils were discovered in the Aguja Formation in Texas, USA, which is how it got its name. Agujaceratops was first identified as a distinct genus in 2006 by paleontologists Spencer G.
Agustinia (ah-gus-TEEN-ee-uh; “Agustin’s lizard”) is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 116 to 100 million years ago, in what is now Patagonia, Argentina, South America. The name honors Agustin Martinelli, who discovered its fossils. Agustinia was first named and described by paleontologist José Bonaparte in 1999, initially as
Ahshislepelta (AH-shiss-leh-PEL-tah; “Ahshisłpah’s shield”) is a genus of armored dinosaur known as an ankylosaurid. It lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 75 million years ago, in what is now New Mexico, USA. The name refers to the Ahshisłpah Wash, a geological feature in the area where its fossils were discovered, combined with the Greek
Ajkaceratops (EYE-kuh-SEH-ruh-tops; “Ajka horned face”) is a genus of small ceratopsian dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 86 to 84 million years ago. Its fossils were discovered in what is now Hungary. The name “Ajkaceratops” refers to Ajka, a town near the fossil site, and “ceratops,” which means “horned face” in Greek,
Ajnabia (AJ-nah-BEE-ah; “Foreign Wanderer”) is a genus of small hadrosaurid, or “duck-billed,” dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 66 million years ago, in what is now Morocco, North Africa. The name Ajnabia comes from the Arabic word “ajnabi,” meaning “foreigner” or “stranger,” and “Odysseus” refers to the Greek hero known for his
