- Capitalsaurus
"Capitalsaurus" is the informal name given to a
genus ofdinosaur fromNorth America . Its fossils were discovered inWashington, DC . It was atheropod (meat-eating dinosaur), and it lived during theCretaceous . It is anomen nudum , having never been formally described."Capitalsaurus" fossils were discovered in January of 1898 at the intersection of First and F Streets S.E., in the
District of Columbia - an intersection now designated as Capitalsaurus Court. These fossils were not uncovered by anypaleontological activity, but as a by-product of sewer work.The "Capitalsaurus" is the official dinosaur of the District of Columbia. [DC ST § 1-161]
The only type specimen of "Capitalsaurus" consists of part of a single vertebra. Some paleontologists feel that this is insufficient justification for a name that suggests an entire genus, and that "Capitalsaurus" is merely an undetermined
theropod . [ [http://paleobiology.si.edu/dinosaurs/collection/nmnh_collections/specimen_c12.html National Museum of Natural History - Dinosaurs ] ] Others note that this is hardly the only dinosaur with a common name that does not helpfully reflect its taxonomy. [ [http://dml.cmnh.org/2002Feb/msg00175.html Re: Details on Capitalsaurus: Multiple musings ] ]References
External links
* [http://home.comcast.net/~eoraptor/Neotheropoda.htm#Capitalsauruspotens "Capitalsaurus" in] The Theropod Database
* [http://www.dcwatch.com/archives/council12/12-538.htm]
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