This Tyrannosaurus Rex swallows a young Edmontosaurus, so its teeth are mostly hidden by soft tissue
Mark P. Whitton
s teeth tyrannosaurus rex Contrary to film and television depictions, other predatory dinosaurs would have been hidden behind scaly lips.
That’s the conclusion of a team that has studied the teeth of living reptiles such as crocodiles, as well as those of ancient theropod dinosaurs. Velociraptor, SpinosaurusTyrannosaurus, GiganotosaurusMark Witton of the University of Portsmouth (UK) says: “Public thinking about dinosaurs needs to be updated.
A case of reconsideration put forward by Witton and his colleagues centers on tooth wear. Teeth that are constantly exposed should wear out faster than teeth that are inside the mouth.
This isn’t just about being physically shielded. If tooth enamel isn’t constantly moistened with saliva, it becomes dry and brittle, says Witton.
When the team examined the modern crocodile’s exposed teeth, they found considerable wear and tear, with much of the enamel worn away. “It’s like someone sanded it,” he says Witton.
In contrast, the team found fossil teeth of theropod dinosaurs to be in very good condition, although these dinosaurs did not replace their teeth as often as crocodiles.
“It doesn’t equate to being out of your mouth like an alligator,” says Witton.
The study also points out that many living predatory lizards have hidden teeth. For example, the crocodile monitor lizard (Varanus Salvadori) with larger teeth relative to the size of the skull than T RexHowever, the teeth are not only covered by the lips, but also by soft gum tissue that pushes back when you bite, so you can only see the tips of these teeth when you open your mouth wide.
“As a result, they can actually bite or cut their own gums,” says Witton.
“I think they’re right, Tyrannosaurus rex had more soft tissue covering its teeth than Crocodiles, but I’m still not sure if it had as much covering its teeth as the monitor lizard. hmm,” says Steve Brusatte of the university. of Edinburgh, England.
Brusatte says there’s been a lot of discussion about Tyrannosaurus’ lips in recent years. T Rex It looked like a crocodile or a lizard. “There is no better modern analogue than a bath-sized superpredator with a head the size of a bathtub crushing the bones of its prey.”
Witton doesn’t believe the study will persuade Hollywood to change its depiction of dinosaurs.He points out that filmmakers are reluctant to add feathers to dinosaurs on screen, despite clear evidence that many filmmakers had this feature. as far as no T Rex However, feathered fossils have been found.
“We are decades behind in terms of portraying dinosaurs in movies. Jurassic Park‘ says Witton. “It’s getting a little hopeless at this point because these animals no longer reflect what we think they look like.”
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