Correlation between the size, shape and position of the teeth on the jaws and the bite force in Theropoda

Abstract

Theropods have fascinated both paleontologists and the general public due to their large diversity of sizes and morphologies. They also present a large variation in tooth morphologies. Previous studies have estimated the bite force of several specimens. The goal of this study is to determine if there is a correlation between the tooth size, shape and position on the skull and mandible and the bite force of these dinosaurs. Measurements were made on several theropods, including the bending strength of the teeth on the anterior-posterior and the mediolateral axes of the jaws, as well as the bending strength of the mandible, and were compared to fossil and modern Crocodylia. We observed that several bending strength maxima of the teeth trends were aligned with key areas of the mandible, and that the size, shape as well as the position of the teeth on the jaws were correlated with the bite force of both Crocodylia and theropods, which can be related to their diet and feeding habits.

Keywords:

• Theropods
• Crocodylia
• skull
• mandible
• teeth
• bending strength

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank first and foremost Dr. Donald HENDERSON, Curator of Dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Alberta, Canada, who gave me the opportunity to not only work with fossilized creatures, but also opened a new research field for me: the field of functional morphology. I would also like to thank the staff members of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology for their help on this research project, especially Rebecca Sanchez and Rhian Russel from the Royal Tyrrell Museum Collection Staff who helped me locate the specimens I used for this study.