Auspex Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Fascinating! Did these teeth continue to grow as they wore down? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Fascinating! Did these teeth continue to grow as they wore down? They did grow continuously, they had to. Without enamel, they would have worn pretty quickly. They are open-rooted; that is, the tooth pulp-cavity was not closed as in many other taxa of mammals. Think of the continuously growing incisors of rodents and lagomorphs but without the enamel. The term used to describe this condition is "hypselodonty" and is usually applied to mammal teeth. Hypselodont teeth are found in xenarthrans, rabbits, some rodents, and a few ungulates, according to Hulbert. http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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