Canopus III was the third planet orbiting the star Canopus, in the Beta Quadrant. This planet was home to a species of dinosaurs. The planet included desert-like terrain. It was light years from Lactra VII.
Prior to stardate 5501, James T. Kirk visited Canopus III. During his visit, he witnessed the dinosaurs. In 2269, the crew of the USS Enterprise encountered a dinosaur in a desert environment on Lactra VII, that was very much like the dinosaurs native to Canopus III. Despite initially hypothesizing that similar environments prompt similar evolution in species, it was later determined that the beast was, in fact, transplanted to the planet by the Lactrans, who terraformed the desert terrain for the beast as part of their zoo exhibit. (TAS: "The Eye of the Beholder")
In 2293, the location of Canopus III in the Milky Way Galaxy was labeled in a star chart that was in Captain James T. Kirk's quarters aboard the USS Enterprise-A. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, okudagram)
!["this desert area [on Lactra VII] is the same as on Canopus"](/wiki/File:Canopus_style_desert.jpg "Canopus style desert.jpg (366 KB)")
| Canopus (Alpha Carinae) system |
|---|
| Alpha Carinae II • Canopus III • Alpha Carinae V • Canopus Major • Canopus Planet |