Edmontosaurus sp. tooth

Edmontosaurus belongs to the family of duck-billed dinosaurs, and we know about it thanks to the fossils found in North America. Edmontosaurus lived at the very end of the Cretaceous period and was a contemporary of Triceratops as well as a Tyrannosaurus rex’s prey. This is one of the most studied dinosaurs, all thanks to several petrified mummies of this animal!

Edmontosaurus ate plant food. Their teeth, like the ones of other duck-billed dinosaurs, grouped into "batteries" and changed continuously throughout life. The total number of teeth exceeded two hundred.

The tooth has an elongated “leg”, with which it was attached to the jaw between other teeth, as well as a chewing surface with a ridge. One can notice the difference between the rough porous structure of the tooth itself and the smooth, durable surface of the enamel.

Each tooth has up to six types of enamel, which makes it possible to compare them with the teeth of mammals. Edmontosaurus had a highly developed digestive system, which allowed them to thoroughly chew and digest tough plant shoots, stems of horsetails and ferns.