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Reptile enamel thickness Project ID: 00000C485 Public
9 Media · 1 Specimen · Managed by: Marc Jones

Eilenodontines are one of the oldest radiation of herbivorous lepidosaurs (snakes, lizards and tuatara) characterized by batteries of wide teeth with thick enamel that bear mammal-like wear facets. Unlike most reptiles, eilenodontines have limited tooth replacement, making dental longevity particularly important to them. We use both X-ray and neutron computed tomography to examine a fossil tooth from the eilenodontine Eilenodon (Late Jurassic, USA). Of the two approaches, neutron tomography was more successful and facilitated measurements of enamel thickness and distribution. We find the enamel thickness to be regionally variable, thin near the cusp tip (0.10 mm) but thicker around the base (0.15–0.30 mm) and notably greater than that of other rhynchocephalians such as the extant Sphenodon (0.08–0.14 mm). The thick enamel in Eilenodon would permit greater loading, extend tooth lifespan and facilitate the establishment of wear facets that have sharp edges for orally processing plant material such as horsetails (Equisetum). The shape of the enamel dentine junction indicates that tooth development in Eilenodon and Sphenodon involved similar folding of the epithelium but different ameloblast activity.

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  ID Part Object Taxonomy Type Date Added Publication Status  
000104778 Dentary tooth dmnh:epv.10685 Eilenodon sp. Mesh 2020-03-02 Restricted Download  
000104360 Dentary tooth dmnh:epv.10685 Eilenodon sp. Mesh 2020-02-28 Restricted Download  
000045284 Deantary tooth dmnh:epv.10685 Eilenodon sp. Volumetric Image Series 2018-04-05 Restricted Download  
000104777 Base dmnh:epv.10685 Eilenodon sp. Mesh 2020-03-02 Restricted Download  
000104355 Dentary tooth pullp dmnh:epv.10685 Eilenodon sp. Mesh 2020-02-28 Restricted Download  
000104350 Enamel from dentary tooth dmnh:epv.10685 Eilenodon sp. Mesh 2020-02-28 Restricted Download  
000045282 Dentary tooth dmnh:epv.10685 Eilenodon sp. Volumetric Image Series 2018-04-05 Restricted Download  
000104345 Dentary tooth dmnh:epv.10685 Eilenodon sp. Volumetric Image Series 2020-02-28 Restricted Download  
000045277 Dentary tooth dmnh:epv.10685 Eilenodon sp. Mesh 2018-04-05 Restricted Download  
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