WRINKLED ENAMEL

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

One of the diagnostic features of carcharodontosaurids is 'wrinkled 
enamel' on the tooth surfaces. Nick Pharris cited teeth of 
_Giganotosaurus_, _Carcharodontosaurus_ and an indeterminate 
taxon from Chubut that exhibit this.

Some cranial material from the Wessex Formation (Wealden) has teeth 
which look, at first sight, as if they have wrinkled enamel. Further 
examination has shown that this is artefactual - the wrinkles are 
microcracks on the tooth surface, sometimes accentuated by silt. The 
presence of wrinkled tooth surfaces thus requires very close 
examination. We are publishing on the Wealden stuff. Because we are 
now thinking that _Neovenator_ is a carcharodontosaurid, and because 
its teeth lack wrinkled enamel, this character is not true for all member 
of the group.


DARREN NAISH 
PALAEOBIOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP
School of Earth, Environmental & Physical Sciences
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH
Burnaby Building
Burnaby Road                           email: darren.naish@port.ac.uk
Portsmouth UK                          tel: 01703 446718
P01 3QL