Thursday, March 08, 2012

Tyrannosaurid Teeth

The variation of angles between anterior and posterior carinae of tyrannosaurid teeth.. 2012. M. Reichel. CJES 49: 477–491.


Cryolophosaurus (not a tyrannosaurid). Art © Bill Stout
Abstract [edit]: The angle between the anterior and posterior carinae of large theropods (Tyrannosaurus, Tarbosaurus, Albertosaurus, Daspletosaurus, and Gorgosaurus) were analyzed and shown to contribute significantly to the variation in the tyrannosaurid tooth data set. Additionally, this variable showed a strong correlation to tooth function, rather than tooth size. However, the variation observed between taxa seems insufficient for systematic purposes.