Mystery Theropod Tooth - Kem Kem

[Omnomosaurus]

I've been browsing online, and come across this tooth.

 

It's listed as Carch, but the serrations look completely wrong to me. The profile of the tooth doesn't particularly scream Carcharodontosaurid or Abelisaurid (though the distal margin does look quite straight) as far as I can judge. Any ideas, anyone?

 

These are the best photos provided...

 

 

Mesial margin:

 

Distal margin:

 

Distal denticles:

[Omnomosaurus]

@Troodon your thoughts would be much appreciated!

[Troodon]

   Looks like a Carcharodontosaurid based on apparent size and how fat it is. Can you provide me the height and width at the base.  The denticles are odd

[Omnomosaurus]

12 minutes ago, Troodon said:

   Looks like a Carcharodontosaurid based on apparent size and how fat it is. Can you provide me the height and width at the base.

 

I'm afraid I don't have the width of the base, but the height of the tooth is 1.21 inches.

 

The fatness did remind me of a Carch, but the shape of the serrations is very different to what I've ever seen from a Kem Kem Carcharodontosaurid; they seem a lot more thin/elongated and widely spaced than usual. There's also a lack of interdental succuli, which is ringing alarm bells.

 

Do you know of any Carch examples that have denticles like this?

[Troodon]

That size and robustness says Carch see photo..  Abelsaurids will have that profile, of course, but are much more compressed.

Not all Carch teeth exhibit interdental succuli or enamel wrinkling so the lack of them does not exclude Carch but it's a flag.  I have teeth with denticles similar to those toward the base but not toward the tip.  

But having said all this we know so little of the teeth in the Kem Kem nothing can be excluded.   If indeed there are two Carch species in the KK are the teeth different?

 

Here is a Carch from Brazil.

 

 

[Omnomosaurus]

1 hour ago, Troodon said:

That size and robustness says Carch see photo..  Abelsaurids will have that profile, of course, but are much more compressed.

Not all Carch teeth exhibit interdental succuli or enamel wrinkling so the lack of them does not exclude Carch but it's a flag.  I have teeth with denticles similar to those toward the base but not toward the tip.  

But having said all this we know so little of the teeth in the Kem Kem nothing can be excluded.   If indeed there are two Carch species in the KK are the teeth different?

 

Here is a Carch from Brazil.

 

 

 

Thanks, Troodon! Very good point on the profile, and that Brazilian Carch does indeed look very similar. Knew you'd be the one to come to for information!

 

I wasn't aware that KK Carcharodontosaurids could be found without the interdental succuli or wrinkled enamel (I'm guessing it's quite uncommon). Since the denticles on the tooth in question glancingly look more like Torvosaurus than regular Carcharodontosaurus, it could well be that they're from the other purported Carcharodontosaurid in the Kem Kem.

 

I'm sending a box of chocolates to the first person that publishes a paper identifying some of the fauna in this oddball region! 

[Troodon]

10 minutes ago, Omnomosaurus said:

I'm sending a box of chocolates to the first person that publishes a paper identifying some of the fauna in this oddball region! 

I'm disappointed we have not seen any new publications on KK teeth since there was a forum member from the UK who indicated they were working on small teeth.   Has they say Hang Tight its coming....

[Omnomosaurus]

42 minutes ago, Troodon said:

I'm disappointed we have not seen any new publications on KK teeth since there was a forum member from the UK who indicated they were working on small teeth.   Has they say Hang Tight its coming....

 

Ah, I'll definitely be hanging tight to see what comes of that then. I can't wait for the day we can all rush to completely recatalogue the KK teeth in our collections! 

[zekky]

Looks  Carcharodontosaurid to me