Crichtonsaurus

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Crichtonsaurus Fossil range: Late Cretaceous
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Ornithischia Suborder: Thyreophora Infraorder: Ankylosauria Genus: Crichtonsaurus
Binomial name
Crichtonsaurus bohlini Dong, 2002

Crichtonsaurus is a genus of dinosaur named for the author of Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton. It was a thyreophoran, specifically an ankylosaur, and it lived during the late Cretaceous Period. Its fossils were discovered in China, and it was formally described by Dong Zhiming in 2002. The type species is Crichtonsaurus bohlini.

[edit] Name

Scientists at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences named the new ankylosaur species Crichtonsaurus bohlini in honor of Crichton and Birger Bohlin, a Swedish paleontologist. Crichton is a bestselling author whose titles include Jurrasic Park, The Andromeda Strain, and many others. As well as his work on dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals, Bohlin was part of the group that established the existence of Peking Man.

[edit] References

• http://dml.cmnh.org/2002Nov/msg00398.html