Re: Horner on NBC Nightly News (T. rex hunting evidence)

[Dinogeorge@aol.com]

In a message dated 7/18/01 1:34:06 PM EST, tmk@dinosauricon.com writes:

<< On a similar topic, can anyone sum up why all the "aublysodontines" are
 now considered juvenile tyrannosaurins? Does anyone still debate this?
 Someone's been asking me and I can't give a solid answer. >>

[1] No distinctive (i.e., non-tyrannosaurid) theropods with aublysodontine
premaxillary teeth (unserrated teeth with D-shaped cross-section and a low
ridge on the flat rear surface) occur in the fossil record; almost all finds
of aublysodontines are of isolated shed teeth

[2] Juvenile and subadult tyrannosaurid specimens are now known with
aublysodontine premaxillary teeth (e.g., Shanshanosaurus, Stygivenator,
Alectrosaurus)

[3] Many adult tyrannosaurid specimens are known with >serrated<
aublysodontine premaxillary teeth, which could have developed serrations late
in tyrannosaurid ontogeny

[4] Until [1] is falsified, the most parsimonious conclusion is that
aublysodontine teeth were a feature of tyrannosaurid ontogeny