Just about every popular depiction of predatory dinosaurs is wrong, because their teeth were probably mostly obscured from view rather than being bared ready to strike
By Michael Le Page
30 March 2023
The teeth are mostly hidden by soft tissue as this Tyrannosaurus rex gulps down a juvenile Edmontosaurus
Mark P. Witton
The teeth of Tyrannosaurus rex and other predatory dinosaurs would have been hidden behind scaly lips, which they couldn’t even pull back to bare their awesome fangs, contrary to film and TV depictions.
That is the conclusion of a team that has been studying the teeth of living reptiles such as alligators as well of those of ancient theropod dinosaurs, which include Velociraptor, Spinosaurus, tyrannosaurs and Giganotosaurus. “We need to update what the popular idea of a dinosaur is,” says Mark Witton at the University of Portsmouth, UK.
The case for a rethink put forward by Witton and his colleagues centres on tooth wear. Teeth that are always exposed should wear out more quickly than those kept inside the mouth.
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This isn’t just to do with being physically shielded. If tooth enamel isn’t constantly kept wet by saliva, it dries out and becomes more brittle, says Witton.
When the team examined the exposed teeth of modern alligators, it revealed significant wear, with much of the enamel worn away. “It’s like someone took sandpaper to it,” says Witton.