Computed tomographic investigation of a hatchling skull reveals ontogenetic changes in the dentition and occlusal surface morphology of Hadrosauridae (Dinosauria: Ornithischia)

A rare hatchling skull of a duck-billed dinosaur from Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, reveals significant ontogenetic changes in dentition and occlusal surface morphology within Hadrosauridae. The study, using computed tomography, identified tooth traits traditionally associated with lambeosaurines in a juvenile hadrosaurine, suggesting these features were modified during growth. This challenges their taxonomic utility for identifying juvenile specimens. Additionally, the dentary teeth of this hatchling exhibit an occlusal surface morphology similar to adult hadrosaurids, indicating interspecific differences in dental battery development possibly linked to dietary variations during early ontogeny.

Warnock-Juteau, T., Ryan, M., Patterson, T., & Mallon, J. (2024). Computed tomographic investigation of a hatchling skull reveals ontogenetic changes in the dentition and occlusal surface morphology of Hadrosauridae (Dinosauria: Ornithischia). Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology, 11. https://doi.org/10.18435/vamp29395