Re: Tiny dinosaur on verge of swearing off meat

["Jaime A. Headden" <qilongia@yahoo.com>]

Dan Pigdon wrote:

<Do heterodontosaur fangs have serrations? It'd seem odd for a dinosaur to 
possess canine-like (ie non-serrated) fangs specifically for eating meat, 
rather than the typical serrated blade-like teeth characteristic of theropods. 
Did the carnivorous ancestors of heteros also have 'fangs'? If not, then they 
would appear to be an adaptation unique to heteros -- therefore something that 
evolved through positive selection rather than something passively retained 
from their ancestors.>

  Yes. Quite nice, actually. Not oblique to the crown but perpendicular as in 
many theropods. However, these canines exist in *Goyocephale*, as well, and as 
such appears to be basal to pachycephalosaurs. Basal ceratopsians also have 
large premaxillary teeth with coarse serrations, and likely derived from the 
finely serrated form as in *Heterodontosaurus*.

  Cheers,

Jaime A. Headden

"Innocent, unbiased observation is a myth." --- P.B. Medawar (1969)