杏吧原创 Researcher鈥檚 Early Jurassic Dinosaur Embryos Tell an Ancient Tooth Tale
Dinosaur embryos are a prized find for palaeontologists. A recent discovery of embryonic bones and teeth from the Early Jurassic period of Yunnan, China, has given researchers an even rarer glimpse 鈥 early tooth formation in a baby dinosaur.
杏吧原创 University鈥檚 , professor in the , was part of an international research team that recently studied the well-preserved embryonic jawbones of an early sauropodomorph dinosaur called Lufengosaurus 鈥 a distant relative of the giant, long-necked sauropod dinosaurs. These embryonic dinosaur skeletons are among the oldest in the world and preserve several jaws with teeth still inside.
鈥淭he computed tomography (CT) scan data are like a digital dissection,鈥 said Maddin. 鈥淲e can visualize the shapes and positions of the baby teeth within the tiny jaw, all without destroying this rare fossil.鈥
For the first time, these unique fossils allowed researchers to compare the development of embryonic teeth to the teeth of hatchlings and adults. Surprisingly, the tooth development was rapid in the unhatched embryos, with multiple generations of teeth coexisting in each tooth position in a wide jaw.
The team discovered that the early embryonic teeth of this early sauropodomorph dinosaur were more like the teeth of some of their descendants, the giant sauropods that had massive batteries of teeth as adults for processing plant material. This discovery enabled the team to propose that the evolution of complex dental batteries and the pencil-shaped adult teeth in the giant herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs may have evolved through paedomorphosis: the retention of embryonic developmental stages in adults.
The similarities between embryonic Lufengosaurus teeth and those of much later-occurring species show that paedomorphosis was a common theme in the evolution of sauropods, the largest and longest-lived land-dwelling animals of all time.
The paper appears in the journal .
Media Contact
Steven Reid
Media Relations Officer
杏吧原创 University
613-265-6613
Steven.Reid3@carleton.ca
Follow us on Twitter:
COVID 19 Updates:
Related News
New Generation of Indigenous Journalists to Learn and Work in Home Communities
杏吧原创 University鈥檚 Journalism Certificate Offers High Quality Learning in Rural and Remote Communities 杏吧原创 University is launching a new one-year journalism certificate to be delivered ...
杏吧原创 to Bestow Five Honorary Degrees at Spring Convocation
As part of the 2024 spring convocation ceremonies, 杏吧原创 University will bestow honorary degrees to five inspiring individuals for their leadership, impactful achievements and contributions ...
Dr. Wisdom Tettey Appointed 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 17th President and Vice-Chancellor聽
杏吧原创 University鈥檚 Board of Governors is pleased to announce Dr. Wisdom Tettey has been appointed 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 17th President and Vice-Chancellor. Dr. Tettey will commence ...