Fun Pectinodon Facts For Kids

Pectinodon bakkeri is a species of dinosaurs that lived during the late cretaceous period, around 65 - 66 million years ago.

The habitat range of the species is thought to be contained within North America, particularly in present day Wyoming.

The tooth fossils excavated from the Lance formation, Hell Creek formation, and Campanian dinosaur park formation show that these animals had comb like serrations on their dental set, which is a feature typical of the Troodon family. The serrations on the teeth also confirm that this species, and the family at large, was omnivorous.

In addition to the sharp teeth, these dinosaurs were also equipped with sharp claws on their hind limbs and front limbs that had the ability to hold and snatch prey, much like in the case of humans!

Not only do thought experiments reveal that these animals might have had the potential to eventually evolve into human like creatures, it is also worth being noted that their brain to body ratio promises staggering intellect!

Pectinodon Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Pectinodon'?

The pronunciation of the name of this genus is pretty simple and would be somewhat like 'pek-tea-no-dawn'.

What type of dinosaur was a Pectinodon?

Pectinodon is a therapod whose fossils were discovered from North America. This dinosaur is known for characteristics that mainly consist of its teeth.

In which geological period did the Pectinodon roam the earth?

Pectinodons existed during the latest cretaceous period, around 65 - 66 million years ago! This Theropod genus is noted to have the potential of evolving into much smarter creatures if the natural disasters had not caused its extinction.

When did the Pectinodon become extinct?

The Pectinodon or Troodon became extinct 65 million years ago, when there was a catastrophic meteor impact on the earth.

Where did a Pectinodon live?

Each tooth specimen of this troodontid species is marked with serrations in such a way that they suggest a lifestyle surrounding regions such as forests or woodlands. While we do not have much information about the late cretaceous age, it can easily be concluded that then North America would be lush green and would have had rich vegetation!

What was a Pectinodon's habitat?

North America, particularly Wyoming, is the geographical area where the fossils of Pectinodons have been found. The fossil remains, mainly teeth, have been excavated in hell creek formation, Campanian Dinosaur park formation, and Lance formation, and hence, some paleontologists consider this new species of Troodon to have been endemic to North America.

Who did a Pectinodon live with?

The behavior of the Pectinodon in a community is not known, however, their average size and omnivorous diet are not suggestive of an aggressive nature. Since Pectinodons are thought to be omnivorous, they might have thrived in small groups.

How long did a Pectinodon live?

The average lifespan of a Troodon bakkeri is yet to be found out by paleontologists, simply because the specimens or fossils of these animals are scarce and cannot be used as a reference for such details.

How did they reproduce?

While the exact breeding habits of the Pectinodon community is not known, most dinosaurs are believed to have been oviparous. This would mean that the Pectinodon female would lay eggs in order to reproduce. To support the theory of them being oviparous, eggshells of this genus and the related theropod animals have been found.

However, the lack of specimens at the present moment fails to be sufficient for the study of this Troodon and its reproduction.

Pectinodon Fun Facts

What did a Pectinodon look like?

The projected features and characteristics of the Pectinodon genus have been gathered from the information that is already available regarding the related species, as well as the specifications of the tooth specimens that have been found.

This Troodon species is characterized and named after the comb-like teeth, that were supposedly designed to be able to tear through flesh and plant materials. These dinosaurs are said to have had feathers, although, they were incapable of flight. They also had sharp claws and two front limbs that could snatch or pick up prey.

One of the most interesting features of this animal is that they have a large brain to body ratio, which means that the Pectinodons might have been impeccably intelligent!

How many bones did a Pectinodon have?

The only sample specimens of the Pectinodon bakkeri that have been found are its teeth, and the rest of the features that have yet been assigned to the species are derived from the characteristics of related species. Since the fossilized remains are so scarce, no content is available regarding the total number of bones in the complete skeleton.

How did they communicate?

Scientists believe that the Pectinodons would have had a nocturnal lifestyle and would let out a loud, harsh call during the nighttime.

How big was a Pectinodon?

A typical adult of the genus Pectinodon is estimated to be 7.9 ft (2.4 m) long and 3 ft (0.9 m) tall, which classifies them with the more average sized dinosaurs.

How fast could a Pectinodon move?

While the exact speed can not be found through the tooth fossils, the strong feet and considerably light weighted body are suggestive of the fact that these predators were quite fast.

How much did a Pectinodon weigh?

The average weight of an adult of the Pectinodon bakkeri species (Troodon) is said to be around 110 lb (50 kg). These bird like animals were fairly light weighted with reference to their size and were a ground dwelling species.

What were the male and female names of the species?

The male and female Pectinodons have not been assigned any distinct names. Hence, we have chosen to simply refer to them as the male Pectinodon and the female Pectinodon, however, specimens are yet to distinguish between the characteristics of the two sexes.

What would you call a baby Pectinodon?

Since dinosaurs are thought to be oviparous, the baby Pectinodon would be called a hatchling!

What did they eat?

The serrations that have been noted on the teeth of the Pectinodon fossils suggest an omnivorous lifestyle. While the sharp teeth affirm that these animals must have indulged in preying on some small mammals, the dentary features of the community of this species also suggest that they could munch on plant parts as well.

How aggressive were they?

While the nature of this theropod dinosaur species is not known, the size and promised intellect of the genus Pectinodon does not allow paleontologists to speculate that this animal of the late cretaceous period had the tendency to be aggressive.

Did you know...

Some of the teeth found at the Campanian dinosaur park were so old that they could not be studied.

The validity of the species Pectinodon bakkeri was given by Derek Larson.

Other related species that are included in the taxa include Troodon formosus, Stenonychosaurus and Polyodontosaurus grandis.

The formations where most of the teeth and eggshells of the Pectinodon bakkeri are found are Lance formation and Hell Creek formation.

Initially, Pectinodon fossils were thought to be the same as those of the species Troodon formosus. Eventually, however, the species was differentiated as an independent one.

How big is a Troodon?

Troodons are averagely sized dinosaurs of the late cretaceous period. If you are having a tough time picturing what the word average would mean with reference to size in those times, these animals would only be about half the size of a typical Tyrannosaurus Rex which would be about 19.7 ft (6 m)!

What caused the Cretaceous extinction?

The dinosaurs of the cretaceous period became extinct due to the catastrophic meteor that hit the surface of the earth about 65 million years ago.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover!

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Pectinodon coloring pages.

Main image by El fosilmaníaco and second image by Conty.

*Please note that this is the illustration of a Troodon formosus and not a Pectinodon bakkeri. If you have the illustration of a Pectinodon bakkeri, let us know at hello@kidadl.com