RE: Deltadromeus teeth

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> From: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [mailto:owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> ackolbert@aol.com
>
>
> It seems there are a lot of smaller Morrocan raptor teeth (< 1") out
> there identified as Deltadromeus agilis.  There are also a small number
> of very large ones.  Does anyone have a reference for the teeth of this
> species?  The larger, rarer ones, which I am inclined to believe are
> actually associated with an animal 25 feet long, seem hard to
> distinguish from Carcharodontosaurus saharicus.  Any hints?

The reference of the smaller Morroccan teeth to _Deltadromeus_ is "the 
imagination of the sellers"... In other words, the sellers
just make it up.

Now, to be fair, it is not an unreasonable idea: _Deltadromeus_ would have 
passed through size ranges in which it could have
produced such teeth. But since we don't yet have a skull for this beastie, we 
don't know what its teeth looked like. Simple
blade-like teeth is the simplest bet, but we do know that its relative 
_Masiakasaurus_ had a complement of bizarre teeth as well as
typical ziphodont dentition.

And ones hard to distinguish from _Carcharodontosaurus_ are probably FROM 
_Carcharodontosaurus_!

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
        Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
        Mailing Address:
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http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
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