Dakotadon Temporal range:
Early Cretaceous,
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Front part of the holotype skull | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Dinosauria |
Clade: | † Ornithischia |
Clade: | † Neornithischia |
Clade: | † Ornithopoda |
Clade: | † Ankylopollexia |
Clade: | † Styracosterna |
Genus: | †
Dakotadon Paul, 2008 |
Species: | †D. lakotaensis
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Binomial name | |
†Dakotadon lakotaensis (
Weishampel and Bjork, 1989 [originally
Iguanodon lakotaensis])
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Dakotadon (meaning "Dakota tooth") is a genus of iguanodont dinosaur from the Barremian-age Lower Cretaceous 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. [1] Its assignment has been controversial. Some researchers suggest that "I." lakotaensis was more basal than I. bernissartensis, and related to Theiophytalia, [2] but David Norman has suggested that it was a synonym of I. bernissartensis. [3] Gregory S. Paul, working on a revision of iguanodont species, gave "I." lakotaensis its own genus (Dakotadon) in 2008. [4] He measured its length at 6 metres (20 ft) and body mass at 1 metric ton (1.1 short tons). [5]