Until recently, most researchers only took into account the variation in the size of the teeth of the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex when they studied the smile of this extinct carnivore from the time of the dinosaurs. But now, a paleontologist at the University of Alberta (Canada) has discovered that, beyond the obvious difference in the size of each group of teeth, there is considerable variation in their serrated edges . These sharp edges not only allowed these dinosaurs to cut meat and bone, pierce and tear the meat and shred, but also the placement and angle of the teeth directed the food towards the throat. In fact, the new analysis by Miriam Reichel and her colleagues shows that T. Rex has the greatest variation in tooth morphology or structure known.
Reichel concludes that these findings and statistical support add strength to the classification of tyrannosaurids as animals with teeth modified to perform specific functions depending on their position in the mouth (heterodonts). Reichel's research has been published in The Canadian Journal of Earth Science .
