Identifying Fossil Pterosaur Teeth
Pterosaurs have very distinctive teeth. They are relatively light in construction and most types have a very even oval cross section. Rhamphorhynchus teeth are smooth and often display a cap of enamel which runs in a band down the front and back of the tooth from the tip. Pterodactyloid teeth tend to have fine striations running down the tooth.
The Triassic pterosaurs like Eudimorphodon have teeth with a main cusp and two lower cusps. Some of the rhamphorhynchoid pterosaurs have a slight keel forming at the back of the large piercing teeth at the front of the jaw.
The Gnathosaurus and Pterodaustro have very long fine teeth with a distinctive reflex curved shape.
The Dsungeripterids have short peg like teeth, still with an oval cross section.
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| Pterosaur tooth found on the Isle of Wight during the BBC excavations. | Rhamphorhynchus tooth showing the distinct curved shape. This tooth is from Upper Jurassic sediments. (2cm) | Indeterminate rhamphorhynchoid tooth, Upper Jurassic. Note the enamel cap seen on unworn teeth. (1.2cm) |
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| Ornithosaur tooth from Morocco. Similar to teeth found in the Cambridge Greensand of Lower Cretaceous Age. (3cm) | Rhamphorhynchus tooth from the Guimarota mine, of Jurassic Age. (0.7cm) | Tooth of Anhanguera from the Araripe site in Brazil. Cretaceous in age. (1.3cm) |
Caution: When identifying pterosaur teeth it is essential to refer to museum specimens. The exact identification is very difficult because of the similarities between different types. Unless the tooth is found within a jaw fragment the identification is very uncertain. It is worth consulting an expert.
There are a large number of teeth from the Sahara in Morocco which are uncertain. These may include the worn teeth of Geosorid crocodiles, Suropods, Carnosaurs (often unworn) and pterosaur like teeth. Many of the teeth are Ornithosaurian, but exact identification is not possible. Dealers call them Siroccopteryx teeth though some teeth may be from pterosaurs that have not yet been identified.
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Teeth from Ornithocheirus displayed at the Yorkshire Museum in 1996. The two larger teeth are larger than any known tooth socket in Ornithosaurs. The three smaller teeth are within the maximum range of tooth socket sizes. Whilst there is some doubt, these are most probably genuine Ornithosaurid teeth. |
