Pronunciation: hwah-dan-o-sor-us
Meaning: Huadan lizard
Author/s: Qiu et al. (2025)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Liaoning Province, China
Discovery Chart Position: #1155
Huadanosaurus sinensis
(Huadan Lizard from China)Etymology
Huadanosaurus is derived from the Chinese "Huadan" (referring to the birthday of a great person or institution) and the Greek "sauros" (lizard). The name commemorates (1) the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, (2) the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Palaeontological Society of China and the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, and (3) the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.
The species epithet, sinensis, is derived from the Latin "sine" (referring to China) and "-ensis" (from). ZooBank registry: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9AC095B9-CC01-43C7-8470-B29D14A72E9B.
Discovery
The remains of Huadanosaurus were discovered in the Yixian Formation of Dawangzhangzi, Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province, China, in 2005. The holotype (IVPP V 14202) is an almost complete skeleton, missing the feet and tail end, preserved on a slab. It was initially assigned to Sinosauropteryx prima and was the specimen that led to the conclusion that the "Sinosauropteryx" tail was banded like that of a Red Panda, based on the study of fossilized pigment-bearing organelles called melanosomes.
Preparators
Yutong Li.
