Macrodontophion

large-toothed serpent

• makros · Greek · large
• odous / odontos · Greek · tooth
• ophis · Greek · serpent / snake

The name combines the Greek words 'makros' (large), 'odontos' (tooth), and 'ophis' (serpent or snake). It was applied to a large, enigmatic tooth fossil that superficially resembled a serpent's fang at a grand scale. The 'ophis' element likely reflects the snake-like or reptilian appearance of the curved tooth rather than a direct snake attribution.

Named by

Zborzewski

Year named

1834

Period

Middle Jurassic

Stage

Bajocian

Found in

Kamyanets-Podilskyi region, Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire)

Macrodontophion is considered a nomen dubium. It was described from a single large, isolated tooth found in Ukraine and published by Zborzewski in 1834, making it one of the earliest dinosaur-related names from Eastern Europe. The fragmentary nature of the material — a lone tooth — makes it impossible to assign to any known dinosaur family with confidence, and it cannot be reliably diagnosed. It has been tentatively associated with large theropod dinosaurs, but this too remains uncertain.