Moabosaurus
Encyclopedia
"Moabosaurus" is the informal name given to an as yet undescribed genus
of dinosaur
from the Early Cretaceous
. It was possibly a camarasaurid
sauropod, and was discovered in the Cedar Mountain Formation
near Moab, Utah
. The full binomial name, "Moabosaurus utahensis", first appeared in print in 2006, in a publication for the Gigantic Dinosaur Expo 2006. "Moabosaurus" is considered a nomen nudum
, as it has not been formally described.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
from the Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
. It was possibly a camarasaurid
Macronaria
Macronaria is a clade of sauropod dinosaurs from the Middle Jurassic to Late Cretaceous Periods of what are now North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The name means 'large nostrils' , in reference to the large nasal openings high on the head that probably supported fleshy...
sauropod, and was discovered in the Cedar Mountain Formation
Cedar Mountain Formation
The Cedar Mountain Formation is the name given to distinctive sedimentary rocks in eastern Utah that occur between the underlying Morrison Formation and overlying Naturita Formation . It is composed of non-marine sediments, that is, sediments deposited in rivers, lakes and on flood plains...
near Moab, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. The full binomial name, "Moabosaurus utahensis", first appeared in print in 2006, in a publication for the Gigantic Dinosaur Expo 2006. "Moabosaurus" is considered a nomen nudum
Nomen nudum
The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
, as it has not been formally described.