Fun Uteodon Facts For Kids

The Uteodon (Uteodon aphanoecetes) is a genus of Iguanodontian dinosaurs that were found in the United States of America in North America. Specifically, fossils were discovered in the Morrison Formation range in Uintah County, Utah state.

The Uteodon dinosaur has had a history of name changes. It was thought to be one of the Camptosaurus dinosaurs which is why it has been formerly called the Camptosaurus medius and the Camptosaurus dispar.

It has only recently been reclassified as a separate genus Uteodon or a separate species, Uteodon aphanoecetes.

The Uteodon was a herbivorous dinosaur that lived during the late Jurassic period, in Kimmeridgian and Tithonian ages. This dinosaur was found in rocks which were 148-153 million years old at least.

The Uteodon was 8.2-19.7 ft (2.5-6 m) long and quadrupedal. Based on this, the Uteodon can be assumed to have been under the threat of predation in its range by the carnivorous and much larger dinosaur, Allosaurus, who also lived during the late Jurassic period.

For more relatable content, check out these Chromogisaurus facts and Austroraptor facts for kids.

Uteodon Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Uteodon'?

The phonetic pronunciation of Uteodon (Uteodon aphanoecetes) is 'U-te-o-don'.

What type of dinosaur was a Uteodon?

The Uteodon (Uteodon aphanoecetes) was a herbivorous and Iguanodontian dinosaur.

In which geological period did the Uteodon roam the earth?

These Uteodon dinosaurs (translation 'Ute tooth') lived during the late Jurassic period, during the Tithonian age.

When did the Uteodon become extinct?

Uteodon (U. aphanoecetes) fossils, skeleton, and bones were found in a rock that was approximately 148-153 million years old. These Morrison Formation range dinosaurs can be said to have been extinct for at least this much time.

Where did the Uteodon live?

These Uteodon (U. aphanoecetes) dinosaurs, which lived during the late Jurassic period in Kimmeridgian and Tithonian ages, lived in what is presently the Uintah County, Utah in North America. Remains were found in Morrison formation's Brushy Basin Member, in the middle parts.

To be more specific, the only known specimen was obtained from the Douglass Quarry or the middle of the Dry Mesa Quarry in the Morrison Formation range in Uintah County, Utah state. Rocks that it was deposited in were coarse and medium-grained sandstone.

What was the Uteodon's habitat?

Uteodon (U. aphanoecetes) remains found in the Morrison Formation indicate that these Morrison Formation animals lived in natural environments that consisted of multiple rivers that flowed from a western direction into a giant lake that was saline and alkaline. Their habitat range also consisted of expansive wetlands.

Who did the Uteodon live with?

Uteodon (U. aphanoecetes) dinosaurs may have lived in groups or in solitude. Being a herbivorous dinosaur, it is more likely to have formed groups.

How long did the Uteodon live?

The exact lifespan of Uteodon dinosaurs is not known, but they probably lived for anywhere between 30-80 years.

How did they reproduce?

Like other dinosaurs, the Uteodon species (U. aphanoecetes) reproduced by mating and laying eggs.

Uteodon Fun Facts

What did the Uteodon look like?

Remains of the Uteodon species (U. aphanoecetes) resembled those of the Camptosaurus, a dinosaur from the classic Jurassic period, which is why the Uteodon was initially called the Camptosaurus dispar.

The holotype of the Uteodon is almost a complete skeleton and remains of the related Camptosaurus genus indicate that the Uteodon dinosaur grew to be around 19.7 ft (6 m), but some believe that it was much smaller, at 8.2 ft (2.5 m).

The Uteodon was a quadrupedal dinosaur which means it traveled on four limbs.

To reach vegetation that was higher, the Uteodon probably stood upon its hind legs. The holotype of the Uteodon, despite being an almost complete skeleton, lacks a tail and a skull.

How many bones did a Uteodon have?

The number of bones that a Uteodon skeleton had is unknown.

How did they communicate?

The Uteodon species (U. aphanoecetes) of dinosaurs may have used visual and vocal cues to communicate, much like other dinosaurs. Hoots, grunts, bellows, posturing, and mating displays were probably used by these Uteodon dinosaurs to communicate with each other.

How big was the Uteodon?

The Uteodon size was 8.2-19.7 ft (2.5-6 m) in length, which makes it two to four times bigger than the Compsognathus.

How fast could a Uteodon move?

Being herbivorous dinosaurs, the Uteodon dinosaur may have moved at speeds close to 4.5 mph (7.2 kph). But since they were quadrupedal, they probably moved faster than this.

How much did a Uteodon weigh?

The Uteodon weight was around 881.8 lb (400 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

Males and females of the Uteodon dinosaur species did not have specific names.

What would you call a baby Uteodon?

A baby Uteodon would be called a hatchling or a nestling.

What did they eat?

Uteodon dinosaurs were herbivorous dinosaurs who ate plants, twigs, leaves, and bark.

How aggressive were they?

There is not much evidence to suggest that Uteodon dinosaurs were aggressive.

Did you know...

The Uteodon dinosaur is considered to be a mid-level browser animal during the time it was alive. In the Morrison Formation, it may have had to compete with numerous sauropods for food sources.

In 1885, Othniel Charles Marsh had named a classic Jurassic age dinosaur 'Camptosaurus'. Upon discovery, Uteodon species remains bore a passing resemblance to those described by Othniel Charles Marsh as Camptosaurus.

Hence, the Uteodon genus was named and described as Camptosaurus medius initially in 1925 by Charles Gilmore, an expert on dinosaurs.

After Gilmore, the assigned name of these Morrison formation dinosaurs was then changed to Camptosaurus dispar, as a distinct classification of the Camptosaurus dinosaurs.

The species name Camptosaurus aphanoecetes was assigned by Carpenter and Wilson to the Camptosaurus dispar in 2008. After all the research by Carpenter and Wilson, the dinosaur genus was named and described into a separate genus called the 'Uteodon'.

By 2015, the braincase of the Uteodon genus was named and referred to as Dryosaurus as well as Cumnoria and Uteodon which were synonyms for Camptosaurus, Camptosaurus prestwichii, and Camptosaurus aphanoecetes respectively. This change in assigned species name has not been adopted by the scientific community and both the genera are now separate from the Camptosaurus.

The current referred name Uteodon and the type of species U. aphanoecetes was given and described by Andrew T. McDonald.

The holotype skeleton specimen of the Uteodon genus was named CM 11337 which does not have a skull or a tail. It is almost a complete skeleton.

The Dinosaur National Monument in the Uinta Mountains' southeast flank is between the border of Utah and Colorado where the Yampa and Green Rivers meet. Most of the Dinosaur National Monument is in Colorado's Moffat County with the rest being in Jensen, a town in Utah that has the Dinosaur Quarry.

Moffat County actually has a town called Dinosaur. The Dinosaur National Monument was first preserved in 1915 to preserve the Dinosaur Quarry.

The Dinosaur National Monument was expanded in 1938 because of its rich natural and scientific history. The Dinosaur National Monument has some wild landscapes, along with 800 science and paleontological sites that contain fossils for various other dinosaurs throughout history like the Deinonychus, the Allosaurus, the Abydosaurus, the Deinonychus, and many other sauropods.

The average Uteodon height has not been determined by science. As far as the science of dinosaur sizes goes, the Uteodon can be considered to be somewhere in the middle.

The Carpenter and Wilson team is made up of Kenneth Carpenter and Yvonne Wilson. Carpenter and Wilson are mainly associated with research on Uteodon genus dinosaurs. Carpenter and Wilson are both paleontologists.

Why are they called Uteodon?

Uteodon translates to 'Ute tooth'. The Ute tribe of Indigenous people of Utah's Great Basin is referred to in the name.

One known Uteodon specimen is known to have been found in the Douglass Quarry or the Dry Mesa Quarry of the middle Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation in the state of Utah. This means that the Uteodon used to walk the same land that is present-day Uintah county, Utah state.

Would the Uteodon bite?

No, the Uteodon dinosaur (translation 'ute tooth') would most definitely not bite. This is because they were herbivorous dinosaurs.

Even if science could make it possible for a human to be placed in front of them, they would not harm the human, because they would have no reason. Uteodon dinosaurs may have been territorial with each other but they were herbivorous, like 65% of other dinosaurs, so they did not consume meat or harm other animals.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other dinosaurs from our Mantellisaurus surprising facts and Hesperosaurus fun facts for kids pages.

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

*We've been unable to source an image of a Uteodon and have used an image of a Camptosaurus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a Uteodon, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.