Pronunciation: da-KO-tuh-don
Meaning: Dakota tooth
Author/s: G.S. Paul (2010)
Synonyms: Iguanodon lakotaensis
First Discovery: Dakota, USA
Discovery Chart Position: #652
Dakotadon lakotaensis
More details coming soon...
(Dakota tooth from the Lakota Formation)Etymology
Dakotadon is derived from "Dakota" (the State in which its remains were discovered) and the Greek "odon" (tooth)".
The species epithet, lakotaensis, is derived from "Lakota" (for the Lakota Formation) and the Latin "ensis" (from).
Discovery
The remains of Dakotadon were discovered in the Lakota Formation at Whitewood Valley, near Sturgis, Lawrence County, South Dakota, by Mr. Louis Rossow while hunting for rattlesnakes! They were stored in a garage until curiosity got the better of his son, Dale Rossow, and he contacted Dr. John Willard... who contacted Dr. Morton Green... who contacted Philip Bjork of the South Dakota Museum of Geology, in an attempt to identify the critter they belonged to. Russell and LaVon Yuill, the grandchildren of Louis Rossow, guided Clint Boyd and Darrin Pagnac to the exact site of Dakotadon's discovery in the spring of 2014, so precise stratigraphic information, that was previously lacking, could be recorded.
The holotype (SDSM 8656) is a nearly complete skull.
