Zarafasaura was first named by Peggy Vincent, Nathalie Bardet, Xabier Pereda Suberbiola, Baâdi Bouya, Mbarek Amaghzaz and Saïd Meslouh in
2011 and the
type species is
Zarafasaura oceanis. The
generic name is derived from
zarafa (زرافة),
Arabic for "giraffe" (it refers to the name given by the local population to the plesiosaurs found in the phosphates) and
saurus,
Greek for "lizard". The
specific name is derived from
oceanis,
Latin for "daughter of the sea". In 2017, a specimen of
Zarafasaura oceanis was about to be auctioned off at
Hôtel Drouot (Paris). The auction house valued it at about €450,000 but the sale was halted and the specimen ultimately returned to Morocco. ==See also==