STL Science Center

STL Science Center

22 January 2016

Lizard of Qingdao

Tsintaosaurus spinorhinus is named for the place from which its fossils were unearthed and recovered initially and its most peculiar characteristic at the time of discovery. Tsintaosaurus is a large Chinese hadrosaur with a prominent crest. The crest that it was discovered sporting was fragmentary and broken approximately in half. The area that remained was the posterior portion of the crest and, in its preserved state, was reminiscent of the horn of the mythical unicorn. The specific epithet directly references this "spine nose". However, recent discoveries have made this epithet obsolete. The crest has been "filled"  in by recent discoveries, but the pre-correction illustrations (see below) are wonderful and the hadrosaur is an interesting addition to the Chinese fauna as well. It is worth looking at and learning more about to be sure.
(C) Dmitry Bogdanov

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