Magulodon

cheek tooth

• magulo · Latin · cheek
• don · Greek · tooth

The name combines the Latin word 'magulo' (or 'mala/mala'), referring to the cheek or jaw, with the Greek 'odon/odous' meaning tooth. It was chosen to highlight the distinctive cheek teeth of this animal. The name essentially describes its notable molar-like teeth used for processing plant material.

Named by

Muller

Year named

1854

Period

Early Cretaceous

Found in

Maryland, USA

Magulodon is considered a nomen dubium. It was founded on fragmentary dental material (teeth) from the Arundel Formation of Maryland, USA. The material is too incomplete to allow confident diagnosis or reliable comparison with other ornithopod dinosaurs. Some researchers have tentatively allied it with ornithopod or hypsilophodontid dinosaurs, but no consensus has been reached.