Dental News - Dinosaur teeth give insight into their feeding habits

Dental Tribune International

Tue. 8. May 2018

save

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., US: Recent research has offered a new understanding of dinosaurs’ feeding behaviour by means of their tooth wear. Predatory, bird-like theropod dinosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous (100.5–66 million years ago) of Spain and Canada all relied on a puncture-and-pull bite strategy to kill their prey. However, close examination of patterns of wear and modelling of their teeth suggest that these dinosaurs were not necessarily in direct competition for their next meal. Apparently, some of the dinosaurs preyed on larger, struggling prey, while others stuck to softer or smaller fare.

“All these dinosaurs were living at the same time and place, so it is important to know if they were competing for food resources or if they were aiming for different prey,” said lead author Dr Angelica Torices, former postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alberta in Edmonton in Canada and current staff member of the University of La Rioja in Logroño in Spain.

Torices and her colleagues examined the microwear on the teeth to see whether any pattern could be established in the manner of eating of the various dinosaurs. Furthermore, the researchers used a modelling approach called finite element analysis to explore the effects of the dinosaurs’ teeth at different cutting angles.

Both approaches led to the same general conclusion. All of the dinosaurs studied employed a puncture-and-pull feeding movement, in which parallel scratches formed while they bit down into prey, followed by oblique scratches as the head was pulled backwards with closed jaws. However, the researchers reported that the different tooth shapes performed differently under a variety of simulated biting angles.

The evidence suggests that Dromaeosaurus and Saurornitholestes were well adapted for handling struggling prey or for processing bone as part of their diet. By comparison, Troodon teeth were more likely to fail at awkward bite angles. The findings suggest that troodontids may have preferred softer prey such as invertebrates, smaller prey that required a less powerful bite, or immobile prey such as carrion.

The study, titled “Puncture-and-pull biomechanics in the teeth of predatory coelurosaurian dinosaurs”, was published in Current Biology on 7 May 2018. The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto in Canada, the University of Alberta and the University of Zaragoza in Spain.

Tags:

To post a reply please login or register

Analysis of ancient fossil teeth provides insight into breastfeeding habits

BRISTOL, UK: The importance of mother’s milk to an infant’s development is now well established. In a recent study, researchers analysed the fossilised ...

Neutron tomography offers insights into interior of teeth

BERLIN, Germany: Imaging techniques based on neutron beams are rapidly developing and have become versatile non-destructive analysing tools in many fields ...

Overview provides insight into new approaches into periodontal regeneration

TAIPEI, Taiwan: Conventional periodontal therapies, while effective to a degree, often fall short of fully restoring the complex architecture and function ...

Fossil molars offer insight into kangaroo ancestors

UPPSALA, Sweden: Kangaroos are icons of Australia’s unique living fauna whose earliest ancestry has yet to be discovered. However, using archaeological ...

Opioid prescription habits of dentists brought into focus again

PITTSBURGH, U.S.: Between 2015 and 2018, the opioid epidemic in the U.S. cost the economy $631 billion, according to a report released by the Society of ...

Ancient chewing gum reveals new insight into Scandinavia

STOCKHOLM, Sweden: Chewing gum has long been something that many people use. In a recent discovery in Scandinavia, researchers have found that the first ...

Free webinar brings new insights into implantology

In a free Swiss Dental Academy webinar on Thursday, Feb. 27, host Melissa Obrotka will be providing educational insights on the stages of Guided Biofilm ...

Researchers gain new insight into mineralization of tooth enamel

CHICAGO, U.S.: Hydroxyapatite is an important component of hard tissue. Tooth enamel, for example, has the highest concentration of the mineral. Since ...

Walking speed provides insight into oral health, study finds

DURHAM, N.C., U.S.: In a recent study, researchers from Duke University in Durham have found that the walking speed of 45-year-olds can reveal a ...

New research provides insight into COVID-19’s impact on dentistry

CHAMPIONSGATE, Fla., U.S.: In the interest of public health, the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) has published a new research ...

Education

Live webinar
Tue. 21 October 2025
3:00 pm EST (New York)

Reaching new levels in bone augmentation using Sculptoss^® Individulized ceramic membrane and GTO^®

Dr. Jonas Anderud Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Halmstad, Sweden – Department of Biomaterials, Gothenburg University, Sweden

Dr. Johan Malmström Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Halmstad, Sweden – Department of Biomaterials, Gothenburg University, Sweden – Brånemark Clinic Gothenburg, Sweden, Dr. Jonas Anderud Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Halmstad, Sweden – Department of Biomaterials, Gothenburg University, Sweden

1CE

Live webinar
Tue. 21 October 2025
7:00 pm EST (New York)