Alocodon Facts
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Height | 0.5m |
| Length | 1.5m |
| Weight | 15 kg |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Jurassic |
| Period | Middle Jurassic |
| Type | Ornithopod |
| Location | Portugal And England |

| Diet | Herbivore |
| Height | 0.5m |
| Length | 1.5m |
| Weight | 15 kg |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Jurassic |
| Period | Middle Jurassic |
| Type | Ornithopod |
| Location | Portugal And England |
Alocodon is a mysterious ornithopod dinosaur known only from scattered teeth found in Middle to Late Jurassic rocks of Portugal and England. Living approximately 174 to 164 million years ago, this small herbivorous dinosaur remains one of the more enigmatic members of the ornithopod group due to the limited nature of its fossil remains.
The teeth of Alocodon reveal important clues about its lifestyle and diet. These dental remains show characteristics typical of plant-eating dinosaurs, with features adapted for processing vegetation. The teeth suggest Alocodon was a relatively small ornithopod, likely similar in size to other early members of this diverse group of herbivorous dinosaurs.
Based on comparisons with better-known ornithopods, Alocodon would have been a bipedal dinosaur, capable of walking on its hind legs whilst using its hands to gather food. It probably inhabited the lush, warm environments of Middle Jurassic Europe, browsing on ferns, cycads, and other primitive plants that dominated the landscape of the time.
The fossils have been found in both the Cabaços Formation of Portugal and the Forest Marble and Chipping Norton Formations of England, suggesting this small dinosaur had a relatively wide distribution across what was then a series of islands in the ancient Tethys Sea.
Alocodon's teeth show distinctive ornithopod characteristics with features adapted for plant processing. The dental structure suggests it was a small, early member of the ornithopod group with relatively simple tooth morphology compared to later, more advanced species.
Based on its tooth structure, Alocodon likely spent much of its time browsing on low-growing vegetation. As a small ornithopod, it probably lived in groups for protection and may have been capable of quick bursts of speed to escape predators.
Alocodon was first described by Richard Thulborn in 1973. The original fossils were discovered at Cabaços Formation, Portugal.