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Two new from Aguja formation


gturner333

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I found these two teeth in some matrix that I recently brought back from the Aguja formation in West Texas, Brewster county. I think one is a dromaeosaur tooth and the other a hadrosaur tooth.The serrations on both sides of the theropod tooth are about 6 per 1mm. The scale in the photos is 1mm. What do you think? Thanks for any help.

theropod apex.jpg

theropod base.jpg

theropod side 1.jpg

theropod side 2.jpg

theropod side 3.jpg

theropod side 4.jpg

hadrosaur side 1.jpg

hadrosaur side 2.jpg

hadrosaur top.jpg

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I agree with the ID's too but I think the serration count is off. Dromaeosaurids have a difference in the serration density and I got a difference counting over 5mm. Fantastic finds. Beautiful teeth.

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I'm also getting a different serration count on your outside edge but it's hard to be sure since the scale is only perpendicular at the base.  Can you recheck midline,  3 mm wide not at the base.   Could be "cf Saurornitholestes" depending on that count.  

The other tooth is a spitter of an indeterminate Hadrosaurid.

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I did remeasure near the midline at 3mm and got around 19 serrations/3mm on the outer (mesial) and about 16 serrations on the inner (distal). I think i got the distal and mesial terminology correct. Let me know if I don't. I used a calibration slide on my scope so the 3mm should be spot on.

theropod inner midline close up.JPG

theropod outer midline close up.JPG

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Thank you.  Okay my call is that its "cf Saurornitholestes langstoni".  Hopfully someday it will be described, it might just be the same genus,  Saurornitholestes but a new species.

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That’s interesting. What exactly leads you to think cf Saurornitholestes over Dromaeosaur? Thank you and the others for the help. 

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Never mind. I just saw that the Saurornitholestes langstoni is a dromaeosaur. But what makes you think that it may be that species?

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Let me make it clear it's not that species its similar to (cf) that species.  Nothing has been described in the Aguja Fm. that's equivalent. 

The tooth morphology of a S. langstoni is not close to that of a Dromaeosaurus, they are very different teeth.  A couple of characteristics to show the diff:  the mesial carina in a Dromaeosaurus twists toward the lingual side its not straight like  S. langstoni.  In addition,  the end of the distal denticals point toward the tip a characteristic diagnostic to Saurornitholestes.

Hope that helps.

 

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On 11/25/2019 at 5:17 AM, gturner333 said:

Forgive me for belaboring the point, but isn’t Saurornitholestes langstoni a dromaeosaur?

Yes Saurornitholestes is a genus in the family Dromaeosauridae. @Troodon was referring to Dromaeosaurus which is another genus within the family and the genus from which the family is named. Two different animals in the same family. Hope that explanation is clear. 

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