Polymorphodon
genus of reptiles (fossil)
Polymorphodon is an extinct genus of doswelliid archosauriform reptile from the Middle Triassic of Germany. The only known species is Polymorphodon adorfi, discovered in Lower Keuper (Erfurt Formation) deposits at a quarry in Eschenau, Germany. Polymorphodon is notable for its heterodont dentition, with long, conical premaxillary teeth followed by thin maxillary teeth with large serrations. Maxillary teeth near the back of the mouth are short and leaf-shaped, similar to those of some living and extinct reptiles with a herbivorous or omnivorous diet. This may suggest that Polymorphodon's diet included some plants, a rarity among basal archosauriforms, most of which are carnivores.
Discovery
Polymorphodon is named from a holotype specimen, SMNS 91343. This specimen is a disarticulated collection of bones from a single skeleton, including parts of the skull, a partial braincase, palatal fragments, sections of the lower jaws, bones of the hip and hindlimb, tail vertebrae, and potential hand bone fragments. Another specimen, SMNS 91400, consists of skull fragments. Although unique features can be recognized, many of the bones are distorted by crushing and pyrite disease.
The Polymorphodon specimens were found in 2010 at the Schumann limestone quarry on the outskirts of Eschenau, a village within Vellberg, Germany.
The public source identifies “Polymorphodon” as genus of reptiles (fossil). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Polymorphodon, genus and reptiles.
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Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q96623746. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2010.
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This entry incorporates text from “Polymorphodon” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.