Jerrychang Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 We should all agree that the side cusps of these shark gradually disappeared with evolution, but how did they deform in the process of shrinking and disappearing ? Does the cusps’s tip gradually move closer to the middle crown and fuse together? Just like the two teeth in the picture below, is the brown specimen older than the other? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted December 16, 2021 Share Posted December 16, 2021 It appears less that the cusps moved in, rather the crown moved out. C. megalodon is much more triangular, less “lanceolate” as we say. They were kind of engulfed rather than disappearing. Recent evidence suggest they pose no structural problem, them being lost is simply a side effect of the crown becoming larger and wider. 4 1 “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth_ Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 I agree with the comments above.... as the genus evolved through time, the cusplets got swallowed up by the crown as the crown got wider. I'm not sure in which species the cusplets became officially vestigial, but they are an adaptation for gripping fish. As the genus got larger, the target prey got larger and less fish based, which is where the need for a more robust tooth developed from. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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