Paronychodon
"beside claw tooth"
Type species Paronychodon lacustris
- Lived
- 86 to 66 million years ago, Late Cretaceous
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Group
- Theropods
- Found in
- United States, Canada, Uzbekistan and Romania
- Named by
- Cope 1876
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
75 million years ago
Also reported from Portugal.
Habitat
Teeth assigned to Paronychodon occur in several river and floodplain deposits across western North America. The Dinosaur Park Formation also contains Saurornitholestes, Dromaeosaurus and Euoplocephalus.
Field notes
About Paronychodon
What it was like
Paronychodon is a name given to small, distinctive teeth, flat on one side and marked with long ridges. No skeleton has ever been found with these teeth, so no one knows what the animal looked like.
The teeth were probably shed by small, feathered meat eaters, perhaps relatives of Troodon or other bird-like dinosaurs. Many scientists think the name covers teeth from several different animals.
Its world
Teeth of this kind have been found in Late Cretaceous rocks across western North America, in places such as Montana, Wyoming and Alberta. They come from the Hell Creek, Lance and Dinosaur Park formations, among others.
How it was found
Cope named Paronychodon in 1876, from teeth found in Montana. More than a hundred finds have since been placed in the genus, but since it is based only on teeth, most scientists treat it as doubtful.
Field gallery
More views of Paronychodon
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
Lived alongside
Found in the same rock formations
A rock formation can hold fossils laid down millions of years apart, so not every animal here met Paronychodon.
The evidence
The science behind Paronychodon
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- Small teeth have a flattened inner face and ridges running from the base toward the tip.
- Typical teeth assigned to Paronychodon have smooth cutting edges without serrations.
- Wear on some teeth suggests that opposing teeth rubbed against their flattened faces.
Borrowed from relatives
- A feathered body would be an inference from small bird-like theropods such as Troodon.
Still unknown
- Whether the name covers a single kind of dinosaur or teeth from several different animals.
- Which theropod group the original teeth belonged to.
- Its body shape, size and color.
Discovery timeline
- 1876Named itCope
- 2002How it fedSANKEY et al.
- 2014New findWilliamson & Brusatte
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Paronychodon
Named it
Named Paronychodon from distinctive teeth found in Montana.
Descriptions of some vertebrate remains from the Fort Union Beds of Montana. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 28: 248-261
No link available
How it fed
Separated several kinds of ridged teeth and found wear suggesting contact between opposing teeth in Paronychodon.
SMALL THEROPOD AND BIRD TEETH FROM THE LATE CRETACEOUS (LATE CAMPANIAN) JUDITH RIVER GROUP, ALBERTA. Journal of Paleontology 76: 751
Read the paper : SMALL THEROPOD AND BIRD TEETH FROM THE LATE CRETACEOUS (LATE CAMPANIAN) JUDITH RIVER GROUP, ALBERTA (opens in a new tab)New find
Described additional teeth assigned to Paronychodon and examined competing explanations for their unusual shape.
Small Theropod Teeth from the Late Cretaceous of the San Juan Basin, Northwestern New Mexico and Their Implications for Understanding Latest Cretaceous Dinosaur Evolution. PLoS ONE 9: e93190
Read the paper : Small Theropod Teeth from the Late Cretaceous of the San Juan Basin, Northwestern New Mexico and Their Implications for Understanding Latest Cretaceous Dinosaur Evolution (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Paraves
Sources: Wikidata