Pectinodon

*"Pectinodon (Comb Tooth) are small predatory dinosaurs specialised to a nocturnal lifestyle. Their large, forward-facing eyes, and acute hearing abilities make them especially adept at hunting prey at night, almost like a flightless owl. It specializes in small mammals, its long legs allowing it to chase down prey before dispatching them with the large claws on its feet. Pectinodon are omnivorous, however, and will also eat plants and eggs. Pectinodon is thought to be one of the smartest non-avian dinosaurs."*

― *Saurian* encyclopedia

***Pectinodon*** is a genus of dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous period (67-66 mya). It currently contains a single species, *Pectinodon bakkeri* (once classified as ***Troodon bakkeri***), known mainly from teeth, as well as fragments of juvenile skeletons and eggshells. *Pectinodon* is currently in *Saurian* as an AI.

## Information

In 1982, Kenneth Carpenter named a number of theropod teeth from the late Maastrichtian Lance Formation of Wyoming as the type species *Pectinodon bakkeri*. The generic name is derived from Latin pecten, "comb", and Greek ὀδών, odon, "tooth", in reference to the comb-like serrations on the rear edge of the teeth. The specific name honors Robert Thomas Bakker.

The holotype, UCM 38445, consists of a 6.2 millimetres long tooth. The paratypes include other teeth and also a front dentary and a lower braincase. In 1985 Lev Nesov named a second species: *Pectinodon asiamericanus* based on specimen CCMGE 49/12176, a tooth from the Khodzhakul Formation of Uzbekistan, dating from the Cenomanian. This is today often considered a nomen dubium.

While historically considered synonymous with *Troodon* or more specifically the species *Troodon formosus*, Philip Currie and colleagues (1990) noted that the *P. bakkeri* fossils from the Hell Creek Formation and Lance Formation might belong to different species. In 1991, George Olshevsky assigned the Lance formation fossils to the species *Troodon bakkeri*. In 2011, Zanno and colleagues reviewed the convoluted history of troodontid classification in Late Cretaceous North America. They followed Longrich (2008) in treating *Pectinodon bakkeri* as a valid genus, and noted that it is likely the numerous Late Cretaceous specimens currently assigned to *Troodon formosus* almost certainly represent numerous new species, but that a more thorough review of the specimens is required.

In 2013 Currie and Derek Larson concluded that *Pectinodon bakkeri* was valid and its teeth could be found both in the Lance Formation and the coeval Hell Creek Formation. Some teeth from the older Campanian Dinosaur Park Formation could not be statistically differentiated from them, likely due to an insufficiently large sample, and were referred to a cf. *Pectinodon*.

## In *Saurian*

*Pectinodon* is introduced in *Saurian* as an AI. It is portrayed with feathers on pretty much all of the body, including wings on the forearms and a tail fan on the tail. Its' color is mainly black with white cheeks, reddish-brown tail, wings and snout, and sliver feet. It is a medium-sized predatory animal that spawns mostly at night. It sometimes generates deep screeches and bellows that give this animal a scary presence in the soundscape of the night. Unlike dromaeosaurs, like the *Acheroraptor* and *Dakotaraptor*, *Pectinodon* do not engage in RPR. Currently, *Pectinodon* don't have any form of ontogenic or sexual differentiation.

### *Dakotaraptor* gameplay

*Pectinodon* are dangerous predators as hatchling and young juvenile *Dakotaraptor*, but can be seen as easy prey as one progresses to subadult and adult stage, to which they are no longer seen as very dangerous predators.

### *Triceratops* gameplay

*Pectinodon* are dangerous predators as hatchling *Triceratops*, but once you progress to juvenile stage you already are sufficiently large to avoid a dangerous attack from these dinosaurs. However, as a hatchling, you cannot outrun a *Pectinodon*, so you should procure the safety of a community to avoid being hunted by one.

*Pectinodon* art concept, by Chris Masna*Pectinodon* close to a *Denversaurus**Pectinodon* close to bald cypress (*Taxodium sp.*) variants*Pectinodon* alongside a diverse amount of small to medium-sized flora*Pectinodon* close to *Denversaurus*, *Sequoia*, *Blechnum* and *Humulus*Concept art of *Pectinodon* display*Pectinodon* model in sleeping posturePectinodon model
## Notes and references

1. ↑ Excrepted from Part 2 of the September 19, 2016 livestream at 00:21:11:

**hitchcockzoo** : @SaurianGame I know Torosaurus won't be in the game, but will Troodon?

**SaurianGame\s** : No Troodon, just Pectinodon