Clean-falling dinosaur teeth when grown up

The small and sharp teeth of the Limusaurus dinosaur, which lived in northwestern China 160 million years ago, disappeared when they mature.

Scientists found that the teeth of the Limusaurus dinosaur , which lived in northwest China 160 million years ago, disappeared when they matured, Reuters reported yesterday. This is a unique feature never seen in dinosaurs or other prehistoric creatures.

Simulation image of Limusaurus dinosaurs.(Photo: George Washington University).

Fossils of 19 dinosaur individuals in about 1-10 years are found in Xinjiang, China. They are more likely to die from being stuck in the mud pit.

The team found that the young have small teeth and sharp teeth, while adults do not. This phenomenon is called toothless development, that is, the teeth shrink or disappear when the animal is mature. Some animals today also have this trait, including platypus in eastern Australia.

In addition, scientists also found rocks in the adult limusaurus. They identified some plant-eating dinosaurs that swallowed stones to crush food in the stomach.

These findings suggest that the diet of Limusaurus dinosaurs from birth to adulthood may vary. Young children eat insects, small bone animals, while adult dinosaurs eat plants.

"This finding shows that dinosaur growth and development is more complex than we anticipated," said James Clark, a paleontologist from George Washington University, USA.