Coelophysis Teeth

[Raptor Lover]

I've been wondering why all of the Coelophysis teeth that you find for sale are always super small, like less than a centimeter? Coelophysis were small dinosaurs, but full grown ones' teeth were at least about a half inch long. It seems that all of the teeth that are found and sold are from baby/young Coelophysis. Thoughts?

[Troodon]

Not an expert on Coelophysis teeth but it had a pretty small skull and most of the teeth would be very small.

Here is a skull from AMNH, check out the scale

Added note: I'm very skeptical on what's being sold are not always Coelophysis teeth, there were other small critters around at the time. Just like what occurs with Moroccan teeth there are catch names that seem to be popular to sellers.

Edited January 29, 2016 by Troodon

[Raptor Lover]

Thanks Frank! All of the teeth I'm finding for sale are around .3 centimeters long.

That's a good point. Sellers like to label things after popular creatures to draw more attention

[Ridgehiker]

I've been wondering why all of the Coelophysis teeth that you find for sale are always super small, like less than a centimeter? Coelophysis were small dinosaurs, but full grown ones' teeth were at least about a half inch long. It seems that all of the teeth that are found and sold are from baby/young Coelophysis. Thoughts?

There is what's called a collecting bias that needs to be considered. Coelophysis teeth tend to be found through screening sediments. This tends to produce teeth of all sizes but especially a large ratio of smaller ones. In contrast most raptor teeth from the Late Cretaceous are surface collected...visible and picked up. There are very small raptor teeth but usually too small to be seen and plucked from the surface

It's easy to get a false impression of the size range of a species unless it is found in multiple locations that have different deposition. Fossils can separate out by size in sediments just as rocks do. This is why we can have a dozen brachiopods or ammonites a certain size and then someone produces what seems a freakish specimen 5 times larger from another location.

Having said all this, it is amazing how many tiny coelophysis teeth are found screening the Triassic material.

Edited January 30, 2016 by Ridgehiker

[Raptor Lover]

There is what's called a collecting bias that needs to be considered. Coelophysis teeth tend to be found through screening sediments. This tends to produce teeth of all sizes but especially a large ratio of smaller ones. In contrast most raptor teeth from the Late Cretaceous are surface collected...visible and picked up. There are very small raptor teeth but usually too small to be seen and plucked from the surface

It's easy to get a false impression of the size range of a species unless it is found in multiple locations that have different deposition. Fossils can separate out by size in sediments just as rocks do. This is why we can have a dozen brachiopods or ammonites a certain size and then someone produces what seems a freakish specimen 5 times larger from another location.

Having said all this, it is amazing how many tiny coelophysis teeth are found screening the Triassic material.

Makes a lot of sense. I've just really been wondering about this because I always see Coelophysis teeth for sale on eBay and they are all micro sized teeth. Some day I want to buy a Coelophysis tooth, it's just not high on my list haha.

[Auspex]

There is what's called a collecting bias that needs to be considered. ...

Good observation, thanks!