Genus
Valid Extinct

Fruitadens

Butler et al. 2010

Fruitadens is a genus of heterodontosaurid dinosaur. The name means "Fruita teeth", in reference to Fruita, Colorado (USA), where its fossils were first found. It is known from partial skulls and skeletons from at least four individuals of differing biological ages, found in Tithonian rocks of the Morrison Formation in Colorado. Fruitadens is one of the smallest known ornithischian dinosaurs, with young adults estimated at 65 to 75 cm in length and 0.5 to 0.75 kg in weight. It is interpreted as an omnivore and represents one of the latest-surviving heterodontosaurids.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
4
Group
Dinosaures
Herbivore Ground dwelling, gregarious Terrestrial
Fruitadens
click to enlarge
Lower jaw, arm bone, and leg bone (LACM 128258 and LACM 120478) of Fruitadens haagarorum on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. © Jonathan Chen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
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Ornithischia Unranked clade
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Parapredentata Unranked clade
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Saphornithischia Unranked clade
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Prionodontia Unranked clade
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Heterodontosauridae Family
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Fruitadens Genus
Fossil sites 4 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇺🇸 United States
4
Geological formations
Morrison
4
Temporal distribution
Tithonian (149.2–143.1 Ma)
4
Species (1)
Fruitadens haagarorum 149 Ma
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
R. J. Butler, P. M. Galton, and L. B. Porro, L. M. Chiappe, D. M. Henderson, G. M. Erickson. 2010. A new Upper Jurassic heterodontosaurid from North America: lower limits of ornithischian dinosaur body size inferred from North America. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 277:375-381 DOI ↗
Bibliography (2)
B. M. Davis, R. L. Cifelli, and G. W. Rougier. 2018. A preliminary report of the fossil mammals from a new microvertebrate locality in the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, Grand County, Utah. Geology of the Intermountain West 5:1-8 DOI ↗
R. J. Butler, P. M. Galton, and L. B. Porro, L. M. Chiappe, D. M. Henderson, G. M. Erickson. 2010. A new Upper Jurassic heterodontosaurid from North America: lower limits of ornithischian dinosaur body size inferred from North America. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 277:375-381 DOI ↗