An unusual dental pathology in a tooth of Spinosaurus (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the mid-Cretaceous of Morocco

Abstract

A single tooth identified as cf. Spinosaurus sp. from the Ifezouane Formation of the Kem Kem Group of eastern Morocco is noteworthy for a series of extensive palaeopathologies. These include an enhanced lingual curvature to the crown and the development of three deep grooves extending from at least the crown root junction to the apex of the crown. An attenuated carina is present but this does not extend to the crown tip, and neither does it start at the crown base. A wear facet is also present at the tip. This is the first report of external dental pathologies in the tooth of a spinosaurine spinosaurid.