Pronunciation: yoo-RAY-no-SOR-us
Meaning: Brave lizard
Author/s: Taquet (1976)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Agadez, Niger
Discovery Chart Position: #252
Ouranosaurus nigeriensis
(Brave lizard from Niger)
Etymology
Ouranosaurus is derived from the Touareg "ourane" (what the Touareg of Niger and the Berbers of Algeria call the sand monitor) and the Greek "sauros" (lizard). Ourane itself is derived from "waran" (an Arabic term denoting bravery, valour, courage, and also recklessness) and is the source of the Latinised Varanus, the generic name for monitor lizards.
The species epithet (or specific name), nigeriensis, means "from Niger" in Latin. The name Ouranosaurus nigeriensis was first used by Taquet during the unveiling of the holotype at an exhibition organised by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle au Parc Floral de Vincennes in July 1972. It appeared again in an article in the journal "Sciences et Avenir" in September 1972, and again in the book "I Dinosauri del Teneré" in December 1972. None of those appearances were accompanied by a diognosis, so the name only became official when Taquet provided a detailed description in 1976.
Discovery
The first fossils of Ouranosaurus were discovered at the "Camp of the two trees" in the "GAD 5" layer of the Elrhaz Formation, Gadoufaoua, 7 km South East of the wells of Elrhaz, Ténéré Desert, Niger (16°42' latitude. 9°20' longditude) by Philippe Taquet in January 1965.The holotype (MNHN GDF 300) is a practically complete skeleton, currently displayed in the National Museum of Niger at Niamey. A cast is displayed at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France.
