Aepisaurus (meaning lofty lizard) is an extinct genus of sauropod that lived in Early Cretaceous of France. The type species is Aepisaurus elephantinus.
Discovery and Naming[]
The holotype specimen was discovered in France. Then, French Paleontologist Paul Gervais described Aepisaurus as a new species of sauropod. The generic name combines "Aepi" and "saurus", while the specific name is "elephantinus", comparing the sauropod to the elephant.
Description[]
The bone is 90 cm (35.43 in) long, 33 cm (13 in) wide at the proximal end, 15 cm (5.91 in) wide in the middle, and 25 cm (9.84 cm) wide at the distal end. The limb bone is now lost. However, there is a plaster cast of complete specimen (MNHN 1868-242) housed in a museum of France. It is a large quadrupedal herbivore.
Classification[]
It is classified as a member of primitive sauropod.
Gallery[]
