Deinodon

terrible tooth

• deinos · Greek · terrible, fearful
• odōn · Greek · tooth

The name Deinodon combines the Greek words 'deinos' (terrible or fearful) and 'odōn' (tooth), giving the meaning "terrible tooth." It was chosen by Joseph Leidy in 1856 to reflect the large, blade-like, serrated teeth that were the only material known at the time. These imposing teeth, found in Montana, suggested a formidable predatory animal, hence the dramatic name.

Named by

Leidy

Year named

1856

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Campanian

Found in

Judith River Formation, Montana, USA

Deinodon is considered a nomen dubium because it is based solely on isolated teeth, which are not diagnostic enough to confidently assign to a specific theropod taxon. The teeth likely belong to a large tyrannosaurid (possibly Gorgosaurus or a related genus), but this cannot be confirmed. It is one of the earliest North American theropod names. Because it cannot be reliably identified, it is not used as a valid genus in modern classification.