Dakotadon
"Dakota tooth"
- Length
- 6 m (19.7 ft)
- Period
- Early Cretaceous (145–100 Mya)
- Place
- United States · South Dakota, USA
- Food
- Herbivore
- Clade
- Dinosauria The clade containing all dinosaurs, terrestrial archosaurs with upright limbs.
Dakotadon (meaning “Dakota tooth”) is a genus of iguanodont dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian to Barremian) Lakota Formation of South Dakota, USA, known from a partial skull. It was first described in 1989 as Iguanodon lakotaensis, by David B. Weishampel and Philip R. Bjork. Its assignment has been controversial. Some researchers suggested that “I.” lakotaensis was more basal than I. bernissartensis, and related to Theiophytalia, but David Norman has suggested that it was a synonym of I. bernissartensis. Gregory S. Paul, working on a revision of iguanodont species, gave “I.” lakotaensis its own genus, Dakotadon, in 2008. He measured its length at 6 m and body mass at 1 MT.
What we know
- Named by (Weishampel & Bjork, 1989).
- Body length estimated at about 6 m.
- Fossils found in United States and South Dakota, USA.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Dakotadon — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.