close
Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Mar 31;379(6639):1348-1352.
doi: 10.1126/science.abo7877. Epub 2023 Mar 30.

Theropod dinosaur facial reconstruction and the importance of soft tissues in paleobiology

Thomas M Cullen  1   2   3 , Derek W Larson  4   5 , Mark P Witton  6 , Diane Scott  7   8 , Tea Maho  7   8 , Kirstin S Brink  9 , David C Evans  5   10 , Robert Reisz  7   8
Affiliations

Theropod dinosaur facial reconstruction and the importance of soft tissues in paleobiology

Thomas M Cullen et al. Science. .

Abstract

Large theropod dinosaurs are often reconstructed with their marginal dentition exposed because of the enormous size of their teeth and their phylogenetic association to crocodylians. We tested this hypothesis using a multiproxy approach. Regressions of skull length and tooth size for a range of theropods and extant varanid lizards confirm that complete coverage of theropod dinosaur teeth with extraoral tissues (gingiva and labial scales) is both plausible and consistent with patterns observed in living ziphodont amniotes. Analyses of dental histology from crocodylians and theropod dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus rex, further indicate that the most likely condition was complete coverage of the marginal dentition with extraoral tissue when the mouth was closed. This changes our perceptions about the appearance and oral configuration of these iconic predators and has broad implications for our interpretations of other terrestrial animals with large teeth.

PubMed Disclaimer

LinkOut - more resources