Fona

Fona
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian), ~
Holotype at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Ornithischia
Family: Thescelosauridae
Subfamily: Thescelosaurinae
Genus: Fona
Avrahami et al., 2024
Species:
F. herzogae
Binomial name
Fona herzogae
Avrahami et al., 2024

Fona (/ˈftnɑː/ foht-NAH; lit.'the origin') is an extinct genus of thescelosaurine thescelosaurid ornithischian dinosaurs from the 'mid'-Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation (Mussentuchit Member) of Utah, United States. The genus contains a single species, F. herzogae, known from several partial skeletons and skulls. Based on anatomical similarities to the closely related and similarly aged Oryctodromeus, Fona was likely a semi-fossorial animal, likely spending a significant amount of time in underground burrows. It also represents the oldest known definitive thescelosaurine.