Eating Flashcards
What type of teeth did Herbivores have?
Thin, Ridged or “Leaf-Shaped” for shearing and broad, flat teeth for grinding
What type of adaptations did Carnivores have?
Sharp pointed teeth for piercing and claws for grasping prey
What are serrations on teeth?
small sharp bumps on teeth useful for carnivorous dinosaurs
What are frugivores?
Herbivores that feed primarily on fruits, sharp hooked beaks
What are piscivores?
Specialized carnivores that primarily eat fish, long sharp spear-shaped beaks
What are Insectivores?
Specialized carnivores that feed primarily on insects, sharp piercing teeth for getting through the chitinous cuticle, or reduced teeth and weak jaws
What is durophagy?
Specialized type of carnivore that is able to break bones while it feeds
What are Omnivores?
Animals that eat significant amounts of both meat and plants
What is reabsorption in the process of shedding teeth?
The root of the tooth is reabsorbed prior to shedding to have the minerals and substances reused
What is Cellulose?
A chemical compound used by plants to toughen their cellular walls, not easy for animals to digest
How can animals digest celulose?
With the help of symbiotic bacteria in their guts, chewing is essential to breaking the plant down into smaller pieces
What type of teeth were specialized for dealing with plant matter and grinding it down?
Dental Batteries
What dinosaurs had dental batteries?
Hadrosaurs and Cerotopsians
How were hadrosaur dental batteries angled?
Downwards
How were the dental batteries of ceratopsians angled?
Almost vertically, acting like a pair of scissors
What adaptation apart from dental batteries helped dinosaurs digest plant material?
Ankylosaurs and sauropods developed immense ribcages that housed large digestive organs, allowing them to digest for longer and get energy from their food
What are gastroliths?
Stones inside ribcages that acted like gastric mills mechanically churning food
What is a gastric mill?
an adaptation found in modern birds, consists of an organ found near the stomach full of swallowed pebbles
What special adaptation do dromaeosaurs have that are similar to modern cats?
Retractable claws to keep them sharp
Why are Spinosaurs thought to be piscivorous?
They have conical shaped teeth with sharp tips and few to no serrations
Why are Alvarezsaurs thought to be Insectivores?
Reduced teeth short and strong front limbs, spade-shaped claws for digging
What types of teeth did Tyrannosaurs have?
Long serrated teeth with blunt edges and large attachment sites
What kinds of Carnivores scavenge?
Almost all carnivores scavenge, its an opportunistic behaviour
What are fossilized contents of the gut called?
Cololites
What type of stomach content call help determine diet?
Cololites and gastroliths
