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EXHIBIT 215

Rhabdodon

Rhabdodon priscus and R. septimanicus

Dinosaur

Rhabdodon was a European ornithopod whose ridged teeth helped process plant material. [1]

Evidence profile

TWO WAYS TO PICTURE THE PAST

Compare the evidence with the familiar movie image. The illustrations are not to a shared scale.

01 / SOURCE-INFORMED RECONSTRUCTION

A life reconstruction from the evidence

Illustrative life reconstruction of Rhabdodon in a period-appropriate environment; coloration and missing anatomy are interpretations.

An illustrative reconstruction. Compare its anatomy with the evidence and limitations in the dossier. [1]

Source-informed reconstruction. Appearance evidence [1]. Original illustration; missing anatomy, coloration and scenery include interpretation.

Fossils constrain this life reconstruction. Missing anatomy, coloration and the environmental scene include interpretation; the dossier explains the evidence limits.

02 / MOVIE-STYLE INTERPRETATION

A cinematic imagination

Illustrative reconstruction of Rhabdodon priscus and R. septimanicus; missing anatomy, pose and colors are hypotheses.

An illustrative reconstruction. Compare its anatomy with the evidence and limitations in the dossier. Lighting, coloration and scenery are artistic choices. This image does not document a fossil locality or behavior.

Original artwork · artistic interpretation.

Scientific view: source-informed reconstruction, credited paleoart or specimen-based imagery. Movie-style view: Original artistic interpretation. Reconstructions involve uncertainty.

PERIODLate Cretaceous[1]
DIETHerbivoreEvidence and uncertainty in the dossier
TOTAL LENGTHSee the dossierEstimate scope matters
FOSSILS FOUNDFrance, Spain[1]
CompareRead the dossierView the sources

MEET THE ANIMAL

Meet Rhabdodon

Rhabdodon was a plant-eating dinosaur from Late Cretaceous Europe. Its relatives occupied an archipelago, a region made up of islands separated by water. Current research places well-supported Rhabdodon records mainly in France and Spain. It had a stocky build and probably walked mostly on two legs. Historical fossils from other European countries are now assigned to different genera rather than all being pooled under one name. [D1]

Teeth provide an important clue to its diet. Research on rhabdodontids, the family containing Rhabdodon, shows teeth arranged for strong shearing action. Their working surfaces could cut through plant material somewhat like the blades of scissors. Researchers have suggested that fibrous plants suited these jaws. That proposal describes what the teeth could process; it does not show exactly which plant an individual dinosaur ate for its final meal. [D5]

Another clue lies inside the bones. Thin slices studied under a microscope preserve changes in growth and bone remodeling. A detailed comparison found that Rhabdodon maintained rapid growth for longer than some relatives. Such evidence helps researchers distinguish young animals from more mature ones. It also explains why a convenient museum length should not be mistaken for a measured adult maximum or a complete species size range. [D4]

PREHISTORIC ANIMAL DOSSIER

A life in profile.

The animal, the evidence, and the questions still open.

Thin sections of bone reveal growth patterns, but skeletal maturation is different from an established breeding age. [D4]

Profile scope: Genus — Rhabdodon; principally R. priscus, also encompassing the debated species R. septimanicus. Other rhabdodontid genera remain distinct. [D1]

Time
Late Cretaceous
Fossil locations in this exhibit
France, Spain
How to read the evidence

Source supported identifies a description documented by the cited source. Inferred marks a reconstruction or functional estimate. Debated marks competing interpretations. Not established means the sources reviewed for this dossier do not support a firm conclusion; it does not mean a behavior never occurred.

A size reference is an estimate, not a population range. Nesting evidence does not by itself establish courtship, mate choice, or lifelong pairing.

Body length

Inferred

About 4 m (educational reference)

Museum value lacks individual scope. Larger adult lengths were modeled from French limb material, with growth-stage interpretation requiring caution. [D2] [D3]

Body mass

Not established

Not established here

The inspected histological study does not supply a maturity-qualified mass estimate adopted for this genus. [D4]

Diet and feeding

Inferred

Plant shearing inferred

Rhabdodontid teeth and wear support strong slicing; particular fibrous plants are a feeding hypothesis, not an identified Rhabdodon meal. [D5]

Habitat and setting

Source supported

Late Cretaceous European island landscapes

Secure reviewed genus records emphasize France and Spain. Wider family distributions should not be counted as Rhabdodon occurrences. [D1]

Movement

Inferred

Habitual bipedality inferred

The reviewed rhabdodontid body plan supports walking on the hindlimbs; no measured Rhabdodon speed is adopted. [D1]

Recognizable anatomy

Source supported

Stocky body and ridged teeth

A relatively large triangular skull and differentiated upper/lower tooth ridges characterize the reviewed family anatomy. [D1]

Reproduction & life together

Reproduction and nesting

Not established

Not established here

Bone-growth studies do not identify Rhabdodon eggs, nests, clutch size or demonstrated parental care. [D4]

Mating and courtship

Not established

Not established here

The reviewed growth research and focused searches provide no taxon-specific mate-choice behavior or sex-colored display. [D4]

Social behavior

Not established

Not established here

Multi-individual associations discussed for related rhabdodontids cannot automatically establish herds in this genus. [D1]

Dossier research & sources

Sources and inspection notes for the claims in this profile.

  1. The Rhabdodontidae, an enigmatic dinosaur group endemic to the Late Cretaceous European Archipelago (Augustin, Ősi and Csiki-Sava, 2023)Fossil Record 26(2):171–189 · Accessed 2026-10-05Full original review inspected through the publisher XML download. Rhabdodon distribution, genus/species history, triangular skull, habitual bipedality and evidence boundaries were inspected. Austria/Romania assignments historically pooled under Rhabdodon are reassigned to other genera. Most discussed multi-individual social evidence concerns Zalmoxes or the Vegagete ornithopod, not demonstrated Rhabdodon herds. · Inspected: page
  2. Rhabdodon dinosaur directoryNatural History Museum, London · Accessed 2026-10-05Indexed institutional directory excerpt inspected. Its 4 m length is an educational reference without individual/maturity scope. Its broad country list is not adopted against current taxonomic reassignment. · Inspected: excerpt
  3. Phylogeny, Histology and Inferred Body Size Evolution in a New Rhabdodontid Dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Hungary (Ősi et al., 2012)PLOS ONE 7(9):e44318 · Accessed 2026-10-05Full original article inspected. French Rhabdodon long bones are species-indeterminate. Body lengths estimated by scaling skeletal restorations from measured/estimated limb lengths; 5–6 m pertains to inferred adult larger Rhabdodon. Study proposes lineage enlargement rather than treating all European rhabdodontids as island dwarfs. Growth-stage classification was subsequently reviewed in 2014; no exact adult comparison is selected. · Inspected: page
  4. Comparative bone histology of rhabdodontid dinosaurs (Prondvai, 2014)PalaeoVertebrata 38(2):e1 · Accessed 2026-10-05Original indexed abstract inspected. Size-independent qualitative histological maturation comparison finds prolonged fast growth in Rhabdodon. The study concerns bone maturation, not eggs, nesting, courtship or demonstrated sexual maturity. · Inspected: abstract
  5. Extreme tooth enlargement in a new Late Cretaceous rhabdodontid dinosaur from Southern France (Godefroit et al., 2017)Scientific Reports 7:13098 · Accessed 2026-10-05Original abstract and university-deposited article excerpt inspected. Description primarily concerns Matheronodon, with explicit rhabdodontid dental comparisons supporting powerful shearing and possible fibrous plant use; Matheronodon-specific four-tooth count and enlarged crown measurements are not assigned to Rhabdodon. · Inspected: excerpt

THE STORY IN THE FOSSILS

Evidence behind Rhabdodon

The genus name refers to its teeth. Their shape and wear give a mechanical explanation for plant processing without preserving a complete menu. [5]

Size estimates depend on identifying growth stage as well as scaling bones. A larger fossil is not automatically an older one. [4]

A note on scale and time

The dossier identifies the scope of each reference estimate. A mount, an individual fossil and a species-wide adult range are different measurements. Comparison metrics remain unavailable where adult scope has not been established. Unknown does not mean zero.

Sources & editorial notes

Sources support the stated claims and scopes. Refer to the evidence notes for uncertainty.

  1. The Rhabdodontidae, an enigmatic dinosaur group endemic to the Late Cretaceous European Archipelago (Augustin, Ősi and Csiki-Sava, 2023)Fossil Record 26(2):171–189 · Accessed 2026-10-05Full original review inspected through the publisher XML download. Rhabdodon distribution, genus/species history, triangular skull, habitual bipedality and evidence boundaries were inspected. Austria/Romania assignments historically pooled under Rhabdodon are reassigned to other genera. Most discussed multi-individual social evidence concerns Zalmoxes or the Vegagete ornithopod, not demonstrated Rhabdodon herds. · Inspected: page
  2. Rhabdodon dinosaur directoryNatural History Museum, London · Accessed 2026-10-05Indexed institutional directory excerpt inspected. Its 4 m length is an educational reference without individual/maturity scope. Its broad country list is not adopted against current taxonomic reassignment. · Inspected: excerpt
  3. Phylogeny, Histology and Inferred Body Size Evolution in a New Rhabdodontid Dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Hungary (Ősi et al., 2012)PLOS ONE 7(9):e44318 · Accessed 2026-10-05Full original article inspected. French Rhabdodon long bones are species-indeterminate. Body lengths estimated by scaling skeletal restorations from measured/estimated limb lengths; 5–6 m pertains to inferred adult larger Rhabdodon. Study proposes lineage enlargement rather than treating all European rhabdodontids as island dwarfs. Growth-stage classification was subsequently reviewed in 2014; no exact adult comparison is selected. · Inspected: page
  4. Comparative bone histology of rhabdodontid dinosaurs (Prondvai, 2014)PalaeoVertebrata 38(2):e1 · Accessed 2026-10-05Original indexed abstract inspected. Size-independent qualitative histological maturation comparison finds prolonged fast growth in Rhabdodon. The study concerns bone maturation, not eggs, nesting, courtship or demonstrated sexual maturity. · Inspected: abstract
  5. Extreme tooth enlargement in a new Late Cretaceous rhabdodontid dinosaur from Southern France (Godefroit et al., 2017)Scientific Reports 7:13098 · Accessed 2026-10-05Original abstract and university-deposited article excerpt inspected. Description primarily concerns Matheronodon, with explicit rhabdodontid dental comparisons supporting powerful shearing and possible fibrous plant use; Matheronodon-specific four-tooth count and enlarged crown measurements are not assigned to Rhabdodon. · Inspected: excerpt

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