Cleopatrodon, like all ptolemaiids, can most easily be identified from its unusual
teeth. They were quite unspecialised at the anterior end of the mouth, with
canines and
incisors of a similar size, but the
premolars and
molars are very unusual. There are four premolars, rather than three as in most
mammals, and three molars. In the
lower jaw the premolars increased in size from premolar 1 to 4, and the molars decreased from 1 to 3, creating a smooth curve. The first and second premolars are large but similar to many mammal premolars, with one large cusp, although they did not seem to have been able to exert much
shearing force. The third and fourth premolars are very large and have small
protocones, very large
paracones and large
metacones. Unlike the similar genus
Ptolemaia, the premolars 3 and 4 do not possess parastyles. These premolars would have had little shearing power. The molars are smaller than the premolars, but do not seem very different in structure, again seeming very specialised for some form of grinding different to the molars of
herbivorous mammals. Each tooth is between 8 and 12 mm long and 10 and 15 mm wide, much shorter and wider than those of
Ptolemaia. Although only the teeth and jawbone fragments of
Cleopatrodon have been found, from these it is estimated to have had a
skull around 15–20 cm long with a long
jaw and small
braincase. The whole animal was probably slightly longer than a
Eurasian badger (
Meles meles) but less heavily built. ==Diet==