Uatchitodon

Uatchitodon
Temporal range: Late Triassic Carnian–Norian[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Clade: Archosauriformes
Genus: †Uatchitodon
Sues, 1991
Species
  • †U. kroehleri Sues, 1991 (type)
  • †U. schneideri Mitchell et al., 2010

Uatchitodon is an extinct genus of Late Triassic reptile known only from isolated teeth. Based on the structure of the teeth, Uatchitodon was probably a carnivorous archosauromorph. Folded grooves on the teeth indicate that the animal was likely venomous, with the grooves being channels for salivary venom. The teeth are similar to those of living venomous squamates such as Heloderma and venomous snakes.[2] Uatchitodon is the earliest known venomous reptile.[3]

  1. ^ Burch, H. E.; Eddins, H.-M. S.; Stocker, M. R.; Kligman, B. T.; Marsh, A. D.; Parker, W. G.; Nesbitt, S. J. (2024). "A small venomous reptile from the Late Triassic (Norian) of the southwestern United States". PeerJ. 12. e18279. doi:10.7717/peerj.18279. PMC 11485104.
  2. ^ Sues, H.-D. (1991). "Venom-conducting teeth in a Triassic reptile". Nature. 351 (6322): 141–143. Bibcode:1991Natur.351..141S. doi:10.1038/351141a0.
  3. ^ Sues, H.-D. (1996). "A reptilian tooth with apparent venom canals from the Chinle Group (Upper Triassic) of Arizona". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 16 (3): 571–572. doi:10.1080/02724634.1996.10011340.