Kurufossils Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 Came across this tooth labeled as an abelisaurus belonging to chinanisaurus barbaricus from the Maastrichtian supposedly found in the phosphate mines of the Ouled Abdoun basin. Looks pretty thick to be abelisaurus and comparable to an extent to some carcharodontosaurus teeth. Is there a way tell the difference or will there need to be more specifics involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BellamyBlake Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 I have limited experience with this so take it with a grain of salt, but upon searching for larger Abelisaurus teeth I did find some that resembled this one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runner64 Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 I believe it is just a Carchardontosauridae tooth from the Kem Kem Beds. Preservation doesn't match up, the matrix on the tooth does not match that found in the phosphate beds. Also, tooth appears much too large to be any abelisauridae (or if it is abelisauridae, that is the largest I have seen). With North African dinosaur fossils, it is very important to have specific location information and to trust what the seller is offering. I have seen many examples of Kem Kem dinoaur teeth being listed as dinosaur teeth from Libya, Algeria, Chenanisaurus, and the Echkar formation in Niger. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Praefectus Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 +1 for Carcharodontosaurid. I'm pretty sure it is a mis-labelled Kem Kem tooth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 The sediment looks like the Maastrichtian phosphate beds. I see no reason to think why this is from the Kem Kem beds. 3 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 Ryann, Abelisaurus is only found in South America but the tooth does have the appearance Abelisauridae Chinanisaurus. Here is an example of one you can compare against. It has crown length of 37mm and a midline serration density of around 2. The density increases toward the apex and base and needs to be confirmed on your tooth. The crown base ratio is .5. One of the premaxillary teeth of the holotype was 47mm so the lateral teeth are larger. Don't know the size, CBR or density of the tooth in question. With Carch teeth they usually but not always show enamel wrinkles not present on this tooth. Another character noted by Sereno on Carch teeth is that the distal margin of the crown is slightly concave at mid-length and convex toward the apex. Maastrichtian teeth are straight. Need to see your distal edge. (Image and info from Eric Buffetaut, François Escuillié & Burkhart Pohl, First theropod dinosaur from the Maastrichtian phosphates of Morocco) Like LT said the sediment looks like Maastrichtian which is good but its Morocco and I would not put it past them to doctor it it so tooth morphology is more important. Here is one from my collection it a crown around 2" I have a couple of these teeth both on matrix so there is no question about locality 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 A photo of the broken end would maybe give a better idea if the matrix has been glued on or if it's original. Often there will be matrix filling in the hollow bottom of the tooth crown. 1 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurufossils Posted September 23, 2020 Author Share Posted September 23, 2020 Thank you very much all for the guidance, Im going to ask for more specific pictures in terms of the distal edge, a picture of the broken end, and hopefully a more specific measurement. And post them below as soon as I receive them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurufossils Posted September 23, 2020 Author Share Posted September 23, 2020 @Troodon @LordTrilobite The tooth measures about 5cm, also here are some additional pictures, I wish there were a lil clearer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 I'm sorry, but those photos are not nearly good enough. They are very blurry and the light is far from ideal. Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Praefectus Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 Interesting. I did not know that theropod teeth could be found in the phosphate mines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runner64 Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 5 hours ago, Ryann10006 said: @Troodon @LordTrilobite The tooth measures about 5cm, also here are some additional pictures, I wish there were a lil clearer. I agree better pictures will be needed to get a better look at it for ID. I am still not really seeing a resemblance to Chenanisaurus teeth I have seen before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mioplosus_Lover24 Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 I've been looking to get one of these for a very long time, not sure if it is Chenanisaurus but definitely looks to be from the phosphate beds! 1 "Life is too complex for me to wrap my mind around, that's why I have fossils and not pets!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now