Troodon
True-don
Name meaning: Wounding Tooth
Time Period: Campanian (Late Cretaceous) 72.7–66 Mya
Locations:Monatana-Judith River Formation
Taxonomy: Theropoda-Troodontidae
Subspecies: T. formosus
Characteristics ~ ~ ~ ~
History & Fossils ~ ~ ~ ~
Troodon was discovered by Joseph Leidyin 1856 by a single fossilized tooth. The tooth was believed to have belonged to a type of lizard. By 1901, the tooth was placed in megalosauridae, the default clade that was given to carnivorous dinosaurs without much taxonomic knowledge. By 1924, Troodon was thought to be a Pachycephalosaurid and in 1932, Stenonychosaurus was discovered. Troodon is still a valid genus, but it’s only material is still just its wounding teeth. Its Sister Taxa, Stenonychosaurus, and Latenivenatrix are the animals that Troodon takes inspiration from. I still like the name far more than the other species which aren't fun to say or pronounce, as well as troodon still being represented far more than the other species. Anyways Troodon was invalidated in 2017 since it's only fossils were teeth. Until 2025 when a neotype has been found and described arguing Troodon should be a valid genus: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-paleontology/article/troodontid-specimens-from-the-cretaceous-two-medicine-formation-of-montana-usa-and-the-validity-of-troodon-formosus/3E58F1FDA3FE53DE569E0D0B20E79F22
Media Deptictions ~ ~ ~ ~
Jurassic Park the Game Or more commonly reffered to as Telltale Jp. Troodons are a prominent threat throughout the game being primarly nocternal with giant eyes that had Tapetum lucidum a layer of tissue that mammals have that causes their eyes to reflect light. They also have a venomous bite that causes hallucinations and later paralysis. They use this venom to keep their victims alive then ripping open their stomach to lay their eggs inside giving them incubation and later the hatchlings first meal like a xenomorph. Other predators like the Velociraptor fear them because of this. In the story Hammond ordered for them to be euthanised however Dr. Sorkin could bring herself to kill them. I like this guys alot a litte over the top, however the premise behind these creatures feels very Crichton-esq.
