Spinosaur teeth differences

[Miocene_Mason]

I have a tooth of a spinosaurid from North Africa. These are pretty common in the market. My question is, can species be told apart by teeth? There are only three species of spinosaur in the area I believe, Spinosaurus (morrocensis?) and sigilmassasaurus, and the baryonyxid suchomimus. Can teeth morphology be used to determine which one? Surely it must at least be able to tell suchomimus from the other two, right?

[Doctor Mud]

My understanding is that there is not enough of a difference between the teeth to seperate species.

 

Best labeled as Spinosaurus species indet. Or just Spinosaurus spp.

 

A link here to a thread by @Troodon

 

 

[gigantoraptor]

Suchomimus isn't found in morocco, only in Niger.

[LordTrilobite]

Indeed. Suchomimus doesn't appear in Morocco. Also it has more curved teeth than Spinosaurus.

 

There are at least two types of Spinosaurids in the Kem Kem beds of Morocco. There was a study on the quadrate bone of Spinosaurids in Kem Kem. And there were two distinct types that are definitely different species. Though no name can be put on either of these are they were isolated bones.

 

There's a great study on the neck and dorsal vertebrae of Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis. Sigilmassasaurus seems to be synomymous with Spinosaurus maroccanus. So that's not a valid taxon. But right now Sigilmassasaurus can only be identified on the basis of these neck and dorsal vertebrae.

https://peerj.com/articles/1323/

 

There is at least one Spinosaurid that isn't Sigilmassasaurus and might be Spinosaurus aegyptiacus as there is plenty material that seems pretty consistent with it's morphology.

 

There are at least two types of Spinosaurid teeth present in the Kem Kem beds. One type with smooth enamel, and one with ridged enamel. Neither of these can be identified other than on a family level right now because we don't know what the teeth of Sigilmassasaurus look like and we don't know for certain what other Spinosaurids roamed the Kem Kem beds.

 

 

 

So in short. At Kem Kem there is Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis and at least one other Spinosaurid that might be Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. But we can't identify their teeth right now.

[Miocene_Mason]

19 hours ago, Doctor Mud said:

My understanding is that there is not enough of a difference between the teeth to seperate species.

 

Best labeled as Spinosaurus species indet. Or just Spinosaurus spp.

 

A link here to a thread by @Troodon

 

 

 

13 hours ago, LordTrilobite said:

Indeed. Suchomimus doesn't appear in Morocco. Also it has more curved teeth than Spinosaurus.

 

There are at least two types of Spinosaurids in the Kem Kem beds of Morocco. There was a study on the quadrate bone of Spinosaurids in Kem Kem. And there were two distinct types that are definitely different species. Though no name can be put on either of these are they were isolated bones.

 

There's a great study on the neck and dorsal vertebrae of Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis. Sigilmassasaurus seems to be synomymous with Spinosaurus maroccanus. So that's not a valid taxon. But right now Sigilmassasaurus can only be identified on the basis of these neck and dorsal vertebrae.

https://peerj.com/articles/1323/

 

There is at least one Spinosaurid that isn't Sigilmassasaurus and might be Spinosaurus aegyptiacus as there is plenty material that seems pretty consistent with it's morphology.

 

There are at least two types of Spinosaurid teeth present in the Kem Kem beds. One type with smooth enamel, and one with ridged enamel. Neither of these can be identified other than on a family level right now because we don't know what the teeth of Sigilmassasaurus look like and we don't know for certain what other Spinosaurids roamed the Kem Kem beds.

 

 

 

So in short. At Kem Kem there is Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis and at least one other Spinosaurid that might be Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. But we can't identify their teeth right now.

 

16 hours ago, gigantoraptor said:

Suchomimus isn't found in morocco, only in Niger.

Thank you all for your help! Those paleontologists need to get on their job! I need to know the species of my tooth! Because nothing can be proved, I'm gonna label it Notachicken notasaurus (what my mother called giganotasaurus...) and no one can tell me otherwise, because they can't prove it's not. Again thanks for the help!