Convergent dental adaptations in the serrations of hypercarnivorous synapsids and dinosaurs

Abstract

Theropod dinosaurs are well known for having a ziphodont dentition: serrated, blade-shaped teeth that they used for cutting through prey. Serrations along the carinae of theropod teeth are composed of true denticles, a complex arrangement of dentine, enamel, and interdental folds. This structure would have supported individual denticles and dissipated the stresses associated with feeding. These particular serrations were previously thought to be unique to theropod dinosaurs and some other archosaurs. Here, we identify the same denticles and interdental folds forming the cutting edges in the teeth of a Permian gorgonopsian synapsid, extending the temporal and phylogenetic distribution of this dental morphology. This remarkable instance of convergence not only represents the earliest record of this adaptation to hypercarnivory but also demonstrates that the first iteration of this feature appeared in non-mammalian synapsids. Comparisons of tooth serrations in gorgonopsians with those of earlier synapsids and hypercarnivorous mammals reveal some gorgonopsians acquired a complex tissue arrangement that differed from other synapsids.