Smitanosaurus (meaning smith lizard) is a genus of dicraeosaurid sauropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of Colorado. The type species is Smitanosaurus agilis.
History[]
The species Morosaurus agilis was originally named by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1889. However, the genus Morosaurus was in 1907 reinterpreted as a junior synonym of Camarasaurus. Over time, comparisons have been drawn with Haplocanthosaurus, Diplodocus and brachiosaurids, but never with a phylogenetic analysis. Further preparation and analysis by Whitlock & Wilson, 2020, have since interpreted it as a dicraeosaurid, warranting the new genus name Smitanosaurus. The generic name means "smith , from the Old Saxon smitan, referring to J. August Smith, who excavated and sketched the holotype, and the specific name is agilis.
Description[]
It is from a partial skull, proatlases, and three cervical vertebrae.
Classification[]
It is classified as a member of the Dicraeosauridae.
Gallery[]
