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September 8, 2011

Dino Discovery Solves Puzzle

A comparison of the dentition and arms of three dinosaurs: Allosaurus, a T. rex-like dinosaur, had sharp pointy teeth; the Alvarezsaur (Haplocheirus) had many shorter teeth; and the most bird-like dinosaur of the group, Shuvuuia, had reduced peg-like dentition. Note the three, roughly equal-sized claws of the Allosaurus; the thick, short thumb and two skinny fingers of Haplocheirus; and the completely reduced, single digit of Shuvuuia.

This image accompanied NSF press release, "Dinosaur Discovery Helps Solve Piece of Evolutionary Puzzle."

Credit: Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation

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