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Rhabdodon

Say it: RAB-doh-don

Name means: “rod tooth”1

Ate: PlantsBeaked plant-eatersLate Cretaceous

Rhabdodon was a plant-eating dinosaur that lived in Europe near the end of the Age of Dinosaurs. It had a strong beak for snipping leaves and walked on two legs, but could also drop to all fours. It was one of the biggest members of its family, the rhabdodontids.2 1

Lived

84 to 66 million years ago4

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

France, Spain, Romania, and Austria2 1

Length

4 to 6 m (13 to 20 ft)2

some specimens may have reached up to 6 m

Weight

250 kg (551 lb)2

Height

1.3 m (4.3 ft)3

hip height

Top speed

about 43 km/h (27 mph)

Running, estimate

What did Rhabdodon eat?

Rhabdodon was a plant-eater, or herbivore. It ate C3 plants, which are the most common type of plants, like trees and shrubs.

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

hip height

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 12 dogs

as long as 6 dogs nose to tailas long as 33 bananas end to endas heavy as 50 watermelonsas heavy as 13 kindergarten kidsas heavy as 8 school kidscould run 100 metres in 8.4 seconds (the fastest human needs 9.6)

How big was Rhabdodon compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast was it?

A person walking about 5 km/h (3 mph)

A kid on a bike about 12 km/h (7 mph)

Rhabdodon about 43 km/h (27 mph)

A galloping horse about 65 km/h (40 mph)

A cheetah about 100 km/h (62 mph)

cool stuff

Fun facts

Rhabdodon lived about 72 to 69 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period.2

Its name means 'rod tooth' because its teeth were shaped like little rods.1

Rhabdodon was big for a rhabdodontid, measuring about 4 metres (13 feet) long and weighing 250 kilograms (550 pounds). Some fossils suggest it could grow up to 6 metres (20 feet) long.2

Scientists once thought Rhabdodon was a dwarf dinosaur because it lived on islands, but new research shows it was actually a giant compared to its closest relatives.2

Rhabdodon shared its home with other dinosaurs like the sauropod Ampelosaurus and the carnivorous theropods Arcovenator and Pyroraptor.2

Fossils of Rhabdodon have been found in France, Spain, Romania, and Austria, showing it lived across much of southern Europe.2 1

The first Rhabdodon fossils were described by French paleontologist Philippe Matheron in 1869.2 4

AI-made picture of Rhabdodon — An AI-made picture of how Rhabdodon might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Rhabdodon

?What did Rhabdodon eat?

Rhabdodon was a plant-eater, or herbivore. It ate C3 plants, which are the most common type of plants, like trees and shrubs.2

?How big was Rhabdodon?

Rhabdodon was about 4 metres (13 feet) long and weighed 250 kilograms (550 pounds). Some fossils suggest it could grow up to 6 metres (20 feet) long.2 1

?When did Rhabdodon live?

Rhabdodon lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 72 to 69 million years ago. Other estimates suggest it lived between 76 and 70 million years ago.2 1

?Where was Rhabdodon found?

Rhabdodon fossils have been found in southern France, and also in Spain, Romania, and Austria. It lived across much of southern Europe.2 1

?Was Rhabdodon a dinosaur?

Yes, Rhabdodon was a dinosaur. It was an ornithopod, a type of plant-eating dinosaur that walked on two legs.2 1

?Why is it called Rhabdodon?

Rhabdodon means 'rod tooth' or 'fluted tooth' because its teeth were shaped like little rods. The name comes from Greek words.2 1

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Myth buster

Myth: Rhabdodon was a small, weak dinosaur because it lived on islands.

Truth: Rhabdodon was actually one of the largest rhabdodontids, and scientists now think it grew big on the mainland, not as a dwarf on islands.2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Rhabdodon
Named by: Matheron 18694
Group: Beaked plant-eaters
Family / clade: Rhabdodontidae4
Classification: Ornithischia > Ornithopoda > Iguanodontia4
Age of the rocks: 84 to 66 million years (Campanian / Maastrichtian)4
Rock formations: Marnes Rouges Inférieures, Grès à Reptiles, Grünbach4
Countries: France, Spain, Romania, Austria4
Fossil records: 37 in the Paleobiology Database4
Also known as: Oligosaurus, Ornithomerus (older names now counted as the same animal)4
Discovery: Rhabdodon was named by French paleontologist Philippe Matheron in 1869 based on fossils from the Fuveau Basin in southern France. The name was originally spelled two ways, but the ICZN officially fixed it as Rhabdodon priscus in 1988.2 4
Still debated: Scientists are not sure whether Rhabdodon was a dwarf or a giant, because some fossils are much larger than others, and it lived on both islands and the mainland.2

Where the facts come from

Rhabdodon (nhm.ac.uk)
Rhabdodon (en.wikipedia.org)
RHABDODON : DinoChecker dinosaur archive (dinochecker.com)
Rhabdodon in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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