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NANOTYRANNUS TOOTH WITH SEVERE FEEDING WEAR Hell Creek Formation - South Dakota, U.S.A. LATE CRETACEOUS PERIOD: 68 - 65 million years ago No type of dinosaur commands more respect and fascination than the members of the tyrannosaur family. This is a tooth from the predatory dinosaur Nanotyrannus lancensis, a member of the tyrannosaurid family. It is unique in that it is severely worn from feeding and use. The tooth is in an otherwise extremely high state of preservation with NO BREAKAGE and the finest intact enamel. The tip is smooth from extensive kills and feeding and has spent considerable time in the dinosaur's jaw with the wear to prove it. This tooth is 100% ORIGINAL WITH NO REPAIR NOR RESTORATION of any kind! This would have been a large tooth from a full-size Nanotyrannus. Excellent to display along with unworn specimens to demonstrate the punishment these teeth took. At any given time, dinosaurs had both complete and partial teeth in their jaws from feeding damage. Like sharks, these teeth were constantly being replaced so various stages of wear could be seen in the jaws of dinosaurs throughout their lifetime. The name 'Nanotyrannus' means "tiny tyrant" but at approximately 17 feet in length, Nanotyrannus was not exactly tiny, just small in comparison to its fellow tyrannosaurids. Its best known relative is the larger Tyrannosaurus rex. Like all tyrannosaurs, Nanotyrannus was a bi-pedal carnivore. It had narrow hips, a slim tail, long legs with three-toed feet and short arms with two-fingered hands. Its short, thick neck carried a large head with large jaws of sharp curved and serrated teeth. It is theorized that it weighed less than 1000 pounds.
Considerable controversy has surrounded this dinosaur in recent times. The only fossil remains are a single 22 inch skull discovered in 1942 and collected teeth. In 1988, paleontologists M. Williams, R. Bakker, and P. J. Currie examined the skull and theorized it is from a new species of tyrannosaur. Other paleontologists claim it is a juvenile T. rex. Studies are ongoing but based on indisputable evidence on the differences in structure of Tyrannosaur rex teeth and that of Nanotyrannus teeth as well as the more graceful leg bones of Nanotyrannus, it is most likely that Nanotyrannus is not only a valid species but the fastest tyrannosaur that ever lived. TOOTH IS WITHOUT ANY REPAIR - TIP WORN DOWN SEVERELY BY DINOSAUR'S FEEDING AND USE! .8" long on the leading edge SOLD DT14-014 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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Artwork by Todd Marshall used with permission and copyright protected
THE HELL CREEK FORMATION OF NORTHWESTERN U.S.A. |
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