Omnisaura
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Dinosaur genus

Sauropus

Hitchcock 1845

Sauropus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 227.3–192.9 million years old, in the United States, Australia and Thailand.

Also calledzh 守宫木属
mediummedium: Only Wikidata gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Confidence labels
How sure are we?0 high8 medium6 lowHow we rate confidence

Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.

At a glance

Data as of 12 October 2026
227.3–192.9 Ma
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
252 million years ago20114366

The last non-bird dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago. That's as far from us as the end of this bar.

Named by
Hitchcock 1845
disputedlow: Sources disagree and an editor has not ruled yet.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Described in
E. Hitchcock (1845). An attempt to name, classify, and describe, the animals that made the fossil footmarks of New England. Sixth Annual Meeeting of the Association of American Geologists and Naturalists, New Haven, CT. Abstract and Proceedings: 23–25.
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Hitchcock 1845).
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.

Lived
Norian, 227.3–205.7 million years ago
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Omnisaura calculation227.3–192.9 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
mediummedium: Omnisaura's calculation from 8 confirmed PBDB records.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Fossils found in
United States
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (8 records).
Australia
disputedlow: NHM records it here but PBDB has no record in this country; awaiting an editor.
Thailand
disputedlow: NHM records it here but PBDB has no record in this country; awaiting an editor.
mixedmixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).

Rock formations
Portland Formation
mediummedium: Only PBDB records it (6 records).
Passaic
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
Turners Falls
lowlow: Only one PBDB record.
mixedmixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.

Family
Sauropodidae
disputedlow: Sources disagree and an editor has not ruled yet.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Parent group
Sauropodidae
mediummedium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.

Order
Malpighiales
mediummedium: Only NHM gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources

Given by: Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Gap filled from NHM.

Known from
Bones
Sources

Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).

Sources: Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0), Natural History Museum Data Portal (CC0 1.0), Wikidata (CC0 1.0)Confidence levels and gaps are Omnisaura's own assessment.

Gaps are answers

What isn't known yet

  • Type species: no source we use gives it yet.
  • What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
  • Held back: 3 fossil records left out: identified as a related genus rather than this one.
  • Resting on one source: 4 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): parent group (PBDB); order (NHM); age (headline) (PBDB); common names (Wikidata).

Size, diet and behaviour aren't covered yet. Omnisaura leaves them out rather than guess.

Where sources disagree

7 open

Family

  • SauropodidaePBDB (shown above)
  • EuphorbiaceaeNHM

The sources give different values. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.

Countries

  • USPBDB
  • AustraliaNHM

One source records a country the other does not. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.

Countries

  • NonePBDB
  • IndonesiaNHM

One source records a country the other does not. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.

Countries

  • NonePBDB
  • MalaysiaNHM

One source records a country the other does not. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.

Countries

  • NonePBDB
  • PhilippinesNHM

One source records a country the other does not. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.

Countries

  • USPBDB
  • ThailandNHM

One source records a country the other does not. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.

Authority

  • Hitchcock 1845PBDB (shown above)
  • Carl Ludwig Blume, 1826Wikidata

The sources give different values. An editor hasn't ruled yet, so this is rated low until they do.

Did it meet…?

?

No. Sauropus had gone at least 109.3 million years before Tyrannosaurus appears in the fossil record, a longer gap than the 66 million years between Tyrannosaurus and today.

Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.

Lived alongside

Genera found in the same rock formations, from rocks of the same age.

GrallatorEubrontesAnomoepusArgoidesPlatypternaPlectropternaOtozoumAnchisauripusAnchisaurusTrihamusXiphopezaAnticheiropusAtreipusKayentapusPlectropusPlesiornisand 2 more

Credits

Where this page comes from

  • Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
  • Natural History Museum Data PortalCC0 1.0 · catalogued specimens
  • WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
  • OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
  • PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
  • Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines

Pictures linked from this page are credited beside each one, with their own licences; the full list is in the JSON download.