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Report Fossil
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By ThePhysicist
Troodontid
Kingdom: Animalia
Eon: Phanerozoic
Era: Mesozoic
Period: Cretaceous
Sub Period: None
Epoch: Late
International Age: Maastrichtian
Hell Creek Formation
Collector: W. Ripley
Acquired by: Purchase/Trade
Width: 2 mm
Height: 3 mm
Thickness: 1 mm
Meade County
South Dakota
United States
Identification
Troodontid teeth may be identified by their exaggerated, triangular, apically directed posterior denticles1. Pectinodon bakkeri is the only Troodontid species currently named from Lancian strata; its teeth are on average smaller and more gracile than those of its cousin, Troodon.
Comments
Pectinodon (meaning "comb-tooth")1 is a tooth taxon, since no remains attributable to the genus beyond teeth have been found. Pectinodon seems to be a rare member of the Hell Creek fauna, with their teeth being fairly uncommon. It was a small theropod, with teeth that couldn't handle stresses as well as their Dromaeosaurid and Tyrannosaurid relatives2. This coupled with their small size suggest that Pectinodon was a small/soft prey specialist, preferring the rodent-sized mammals of the time, lizards, insects, etc. Some researchers have proposed omnivory as a possibility for Troodontids (cf. Holtz et al. (1998))3.
References
1. Carpenter, Kenneth. "Baby dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous Lance and Hell Creek formations and a description of en new species of theropod." Contributions to Geology 20.2 (1982): 123-134.
2. Torices A, Wilkinson R, Arbour VM, Ruiz-Omeñaca JI, Currie PJ. "Puncture-and-Pull Biomechanics in the Teeth of Predatory Coelurosaurian Dinosaurs." Curr Biol. 2018 May 7;28(9):1467-1474.e2.
3. Holtz TR Jr, Brinkman DL, Chandler CL. "Denticle morphometrics and a possible omnivorous feeding habit for the theropod dinosaur Troodon." Gaia. 1998; 15: 159–166.
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