Polyptychodon was a 23 foot long pliosaur which lived around North America, South America, and Europe during the middle Cretaceous Period 100-90 million years ago.
The name Polyptychodon means “many-folded tooth” and refers to the ribbed surface on the teeth’s sides. Fragmentary fossils ascribed to Polyptychodon (mostly teeth) have been found in Texas, Argentina, England, France, and the Czech Republic. Based upon the shape of the teeth and the few bones which have been found, it’s been determined that it was a member of the pliosaurid sub-family Brachaucheninae, making it a close relative of Brachauchenius, Megacephalosaurus, and Kronosaurus. Comparison of the size of the bones and teeth to those of other brachauchenine pliosaurus suggest that Polyptychodon measured 7 meters (23 feet) long.
Polyptychodon is problematic for paleontologists because it is mostly known from teeth, and its teeth are nearly indistinguishable from those of other pliosaurs, and the few bones which have been found don’t seem to have any distinguishing features. It’s possible that these bones belong to other mid-Cretaceous pliosaurus such as Brachauchenius or Megacephalosaurus. Therefore, it has been proposed that the name Polyptychodon ought to be rendered as a nomen dubium.
Polyptychodon interruptus. © Jason R. Abdale (September 19, 2025).
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