Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted (edited)

In a lot of posts regarding teeth (usually bony fish and Mosasaur), I see cross sections referenced frequently (as in oval shaped, lens shaped, etc.) and I have to admit - I have no idea what that means or what to look for on a tooth. What is meant by the term 'cross section and what would I look for to help ID a tooth. Any help would be greatly appreciated. -Frank

Edited by frankh8147
Posted

This is in reference to the working portion of the tooth.

...I'm back.

Posted

You mean the tip? And also, I can figure out what oval means but what shape would I look for to determine 'lens shaped'...by the way, if 'lens' is a common shape and it becomes obvious to everyone that I didn't pay attention in geometry class, I apologize for that! :D

Posted

A cross section in regards to a tooth is what the outline of the tooth would look like if it were sliced in two through the middle. Another name for lens shape is biconvex. The lens of a magnifying glass would be biconvex if sliced in two and an outline is drawn of the sliced portion.

Here is a picture of some reptile teeth where they have drawn in the cross section. D would be an oval and Z is lens shaped.

post-2301-0-39030100-1435076880_thumb.jpg

  • I found this Informative 2
Posted

Just to add to Al Dente post here are images of Dinosaur teeth with the outline of the base or crossection at the bottom (M,O,R,U). These are aids in determining a Species but also in locating its position in the jaw.

post-10935-0-39430600-1435084739_thumb.jpg

  • I found this Informative 2
Posted

Perfect! Thanks again to you both!!

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...