Denticle Morphology

[Waylon Rowley <whte_rbt_obj@yahoo.com>]

This post is a revision of a previous one (
http://www.cmnh.org/fun/dinosaur-archive/2001Aug/msg00441.html
). I think I may have gotten some things backwards,
and they might be worth noting to some of you who are
interested in the larger theropods. I'd like to throw
out the idea that maybe the wrinkles of
Carcharodontosaurine teeth, the reduced curvature, and
the deep distal dentary (also present in some T. rex
specimens IIRC) are really adaptations enabling the
predator to pull the teeth out without losing those
deeply embedded in the flesh. If that's the case,
you'd expect an expanded dentary tip because it would
provide more space for a tooth root, and therefore a
more solid union. The wrinkles which curve toward the
tooth tip would prevent snagging to some degree. And a
straighter crown would slide out easily. 

Cheers,
Waylon Rowley
  

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