# Cryptosaurus

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Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Cryptosaurus Temporal range: Oxfordian 163–158 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Femur Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Clade: Dinosauria Clade: †Ornithischia Clade: †Thyreophora Clade: †Ankylosauria Genus: †Cryptosaurus Seeley, 1869 Species: †C. eumerus Binomial name †Cryptosaurus eumerus Seeley, 1875 Synonyms Cryptodraco eumerus (Seeley, 1875) Lydekker, 1889

***Cryptosaurus*** (meaning "hidden lizard")[1] is a dubious [genus](/source/Genus) of [dinosaur](/source/Dinosaur) known from a partial [femur](/source/Femur) from the [Late Jurassic](/source/Late_Jurassic) of [England](/source/England). The sole species is ***Cryptosaurus eumerus***.

The femur was found by the [geologist](/source/Geologist) [Lucas Ewbank](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lucas_Ewbank&action=edit&redlink=1) and donated by him to the [Woodwardian Museum](/source/Woodwardian_Museum) at [Cambridge](/source/Cambridge) in 1869. *Cryptosaurus* was the same year named by British [paleontologist](/source/Paleontology) [Harry Seeley](/source/Harry_Seeley); the [type species](/source/Type_species) is *Cryptosaurus eumerus*.[2] The genus name is derived from Greek *kryptos*, "hidden", a reference to the rarity of the find. The [specific name](/source/Specific_name_(zoology)) means "well-formed thigh" in Greek, a reference to the stout build of the bone. The description of 1869, part of a catalogue of the [Cambridge University](/source/Cambridge_University) collection, was rather minimal, consisting of the single sentence "On Shelf g is temporarily placed the femur of a Dinosaur from the Oxford Clay, Cryptosaurus eumerus". From this it is sometimes concluded that the name remained a *[nomen nudum](/source/Nomen_nudum)* until a full description by Seeley in 1875.[3]

The [holotype](/source/Holotype), CAMSM J.46882,[4] was discovered in the *Great Gransden brick pit*, in strata of the [Ampthill Clay](/source/Ampthill_Clay) Formation, dating from the upper [Oxfordian](/source/Oxfordian_(stage)). The right femur is about 33 centimetres long and has a thick shaft. It belonged to an adult or at least subadult individual, meaning that the species was rather small.

Seeley thought that *Cryptosaurus* was a relative of *[Iguanodon](/source/Iguanodon)*, the first such discovered from the Oxford Clay — hence the generic name. [Friedrich von Huene](/source/Friedrich_von_Huene) classified it in the [Camptosauridae](/source/Camptosauridae) in 1909. The work of [Peter Galton](/source/Peter_Galton) however, showed that *Cryptosaurus* is an [ankylosaurian](/source/Ankylosauria) of unknown affinities.[5] Today it is commonly considered to be a *[nomen dubium](/source/Nomen_dubium)* because of the limited remains.

*Cryptosaurus* was for a long time known as ***Cryptodraco***, which is an unnecessary replacement name. In 1889, [Richard Lydekker](/source/Richard_Lydekker) renamed *Cryptosaurus* as he believed the name *Cryptosaurus* was already previously in use for another animal (*[Cystosaurus](/source/Cystosaurus)* informally described by Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1831[6]).[7] This was in error, a mistake originally caused by a wrong spelling of *Cystosaurus* in the French *Bibliothèque universelle des sciences, belles-lettres, et arts*, and the name *Cryptosaurus* has precedence.

## See also

- [Timeline of ankylosaur research](/source/Timeline_of_ankylosaur_research)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Davidson, Susanna (2005). [*The Usborne World Atlas of Dinosaurs*](https://books.google.com/books?id=8WXCXAcEOVIC). Scholastic Incorporated. p. 122-. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-439-78722-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-439-78722-2). Retrieved 2021-09-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** H.G. Seeley, 1869, *Index to the Fossil Remains of Aves, Ornithosauria, and Reptilia from the Secondary System of Strata, arranged in the Woodwardian Museum of the University of Cambridge. III*, Cambridge University Press[*[page needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Seeley, H. G. (1875). "On the Femur of Cryptosaurus eumerus, Seeley, a Dinosaur from the Oxford Clay of Great Grandshen". *Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society*. **31** (1–4): 149–151. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1144/GSL.JGS.1875.031.01-04.12](https://doi.org/10.1144%2FGSL.JGS.1875.031.01-04.12). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [129929352](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:129929352).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [*Photo of Cryptosaurus SM J 46882 – Holotype*](https://web.archive.org/web/20180428034128/http://www.3d-fossils.ac.uk/fossilType.cfm?typSampleId=20006898), archived from [the original](http://www.3d-fossils.ac.uk/fossilType.cfm?typSampleId=20006898) on 2018-04-28

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** P.M. Galton, 1983, "Armored dinosaurs (Ornithischia: Ankylosauria) from the Middle and Upper Jurassic of Europe", *Palaeontographica Abteilung A* **182**(1-3): 1-25

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Saint-Hilaire, G.É-F. (1831). *Recherches sur de grands sauriens trouvés à l’état fossile vers les confins maritimes de la Basse-Normandie, attribués d’abord aux crocodile puis déterminés sous les noms de Teleosaurus et Steneosaurus*. Paris: Firmin Didot. pp. 1–138.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Lydekker, R. (1889). "On the Remains and Affinities of five Genera of Mesozoic Reptiles". *Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society*. **45** (1–4): 41–59. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1144/GSL.JGS.1889.045.01-04.04](https://doi.org/10.1144%2FGSL.JGS.1889.045.01-04.04). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [128586645](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:128586645).

v t e Ankylosauria Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Clade: Dinosauria Clade: Ornithischia Clade: Thyreophora Avemetatarsalia see Avemetatarsalia Ornithischia see Ornithischia Ankylosauria see below↓ Ankylosauria Ankylosauria Cryptosaurus Dracopelta Priodontognathus Sarcolestes Serendipaceratops? Spicomellus Stegosaurides? Tianchisaurus Vectipelta Parankylosauria? Antarctopelta Kunbarrasaurus Minmi Patagopelta Stegouros Euankylosauria Nodosauridae Acanthopholis Anoplosaurus Dongyangopelta Gargoyleosaurus? Gastonia? Glyptodontopelta Horshamosaurus Hylaeosaurus? Invictarx Mymoorapelta? Polacanthoides? Priconodon? Propanoplosaurus Rhadinosaurus Sauroplites Polacanthinae Gargoyleosaurus? Gastonia? Hoplitosaurus Peloroplites? Polacanthus Taohelong? Nodosaurinae Acantholipan Ahshislepelta? Borealopelta Niobrarasaurus Nodosaurus Peloroplites? Sauropelta Silvisaurus Tatankacephalus Panoplosaurini Animantarx Denversaurus Edmontonia Panoplosaurus Texasetes Struthiosaurini Europelta Hungarosaurus Pawpawsaurus Stegopelta Struthiosaurus Ankylosauridae Ahshislepelta? Aletopelta? Cedarpelta Chuanqilong Huaxiazhoulong Hylaeosaurus? Liaoningosaurus Zhejiangosaurus Shamosaurinae Gobisaurus Shamosaurus Zhongyuansaurus? Ankylosaurinae Bissektipelta Crichtonpelta Crichtonsaurus Datai Eopinacosaurus Jinyunpelta Minotaurasaurus Pinacosaurus Saichania Shanxia? Tarchia Tianzhenosaurus? Tsagantegia Zaraapelta Ankylosaurini Akainacephalus Ankylosaurus Anodontosaurus Dyoplosaurus Euoplocephalus Nodocephalosaurus Oohkotokia Platypelta Scolosaurus Talarurus Ziapelta Zuul See also: Timeline Category

Taxon identifiers Cryptosaurus eumerus Wikidata: Q1756779 Paleobiology Database: 56557

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cryptosaurus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptosaurus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptosaurus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.