microrobert
07-18-2013, 03:54 PM
Dinosaur teeth reveal feeding habits
Teeth from sauropod dinosaurs - the largest land animals that ever lived - reveal the feeding habits of these giants.
Researchers report that Diplodocus' teeth were replaced as often as once a month throughout the dinosaur's life.
In contrast, the teeth of Camarasaurus, another sauropod, show less frequent replacement, but bulkier growth.
This suggests that Diplodocus fed off low-lying vegetation while Camarasaurus ate upper-canopy plants.
Michael D'Emic, from Stony Brook University, New York, and co-workers used the daily layers of dentin, laid down as the dinosaur teeth grew, to determine the working lifetime and replacement rates of these massive herbivores' teeth.
BBC News - Dinosaur teeth reveal feeding habits (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23343615)
Teeth from sauropod dinosaurs - the largest land animals that ever lived - reveal the feeding habits of these giants.
Researchers report that Diplodocus' teeth were replaced as often as once a month throughout the dinosaur's life.
In contrast, the teeth of Camarasaurus, another sauropod, show less frequent replacement, but bulkier growth.
This suggests that Diplodocus fed off low-lying vegetation while Camarasaurus ate upper-canopy plants.
Michael D'Emic, from Stony Brook University, New York, and co-workers used the daily layers of dentin, laid down as the dinosaur teeth grew, to determine the working lifetime and replacement rates of these massive herbivores' teeth.
BBC News - Dinosaur teeth reveal feeding habits (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23343615)