Pronunciation: ah-ZEN-doh-SOR-us
Meaning: Azendoh lizard
Author/s: Dutuit (1972)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Marrakesh, Morocco
Discovery Chart Position: #
Azendohsaurus laaroussi
Initially pencilled-in as an ornithischian by Jean-Michel Dutuit in 1972, subsequent study of its then-only remains — a partial lower jaw and a couple of leaf-shaped teeth — led Thulborn to conclude that Azendohsaurus was a relative of "the Bristol Thecodontosaurus", and not only one of the oldest known prosauropods, but one of the oldest known dinosaurs of any stamp.
Amidst years of back and forth regarding family ties, Peter Galton concluded that its remains were a chimaera of ornithischian and saurischian fossils. But John J. Flynn's 2010 announcement of Azendohsaurus madagaskarensis, a second species from Madagascar, threw its classification into complete chaos once again.
Originally discovered in the Argana formation not too far from the famous Moroccan city of Marrakesh, Azendohsaurus is now regarded as an archosauromorph whose herbivorous dinosaurian features evolved independently of herbivorous dinosaurs.
Amidst years of back and forth regarding family ties, Peter Galton concluded that its remains were a chimaera of ornithischian and saurischian fossils. But John J. Flynn's 2010 announcement of Azendohsaurus madagaskarensis, a second species from Madagascar, threw its classification into complete chaos once again.
Originally discovered in the Argana formation not too far from the famous Moroccan city of Marrakesh, Azendohsaurus is now regarded as an archosauromorph whose herbivorous dinosaurian features evolved independently of herbivorous dinosaurs.
(Laaroussi's Azendoh Lizard)Etymology
Azendohsaurus is derived from "Azendoh" (the village in Morocco's Atlas Mountains close to where it was discovered) and the Greek "sauros" (lizard).
The species epithet, laaroussii (lah-ROO-see), honours M. Laaroussi, a Moroccan geologist who assisted with fieldwork during the original discovery.
Discovery
The first fossils of the Azendoh lizard were discovered at outcrop XVI in the Irohalene member of the Argana Formation (aka the Timezgadiouine Formation), 1.5km east of Azendoh, in the "Argana corridor" of Morocco, by Jean-Michel Dutuit in 1962.
The Holotype (MTD XVI-1) is a fragment of mandible (lower jaw). The paratypes (MTD XVI-2, MTD XVI-3) are a couple of teeth. A trickle of bone fragments have been referred to Azendohsaurus down the years, but most of its secrets were spilled by a spectacularly well-represented second species—Azendohsaurus madagaskarensis—from Madagascar. All known Azendohsaurus laaroussii fossils, published and unpublished, are housed at the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris.
