🚀 Di Sad Story Behind One Fossil ‘Grin’ 🦎🌿😔
Before di time wen dinosaurs start reign for Earth, di world bin dey belong to one group of reptiles wey dem call rhynchosaurs. Dem bin dey as big as pigs and dem prosper everywhere for di planet 225 million to 245 million years ago during di mid and late Triassic Period. Even though dem be di most successful plant-eaters for dia time, “nobody don ever hear about dem,” na wetin Michael Benton, one paleontologist for University of Bristol for England said. E fit be say dem dey always dey forget dem because of di earliest dinosaurs, but na dem make up like 90 percent of di fossils wey dem find for some Triassic digs. 🦎🌿💥
Scientists don always give dem wild success sake of di unique way wey dem dey chop food. Dem dey use one scissor-like motion grind tough plants between dia teeth and bare bone. But na dis highly unusual way of eating fit don cause wahala for rhynchosaurs as dem dey old. One paper wey dem publish last week for journal Palaeontology by Dr. Benton and im colleagues talk say as rhynchosaurs dey old, dem fit don grind dia teeth reach nothing. As dem no fit chop food again, dem old rhynchosaurs fit don kpeme because of hunger, Dr. Benton talk. 🦷🌾😢
Dr. Benton bin start work on rhynchosaur teeth while e dey earn im Ph.D. for 1980s. As e dey examine dia fossils, e notice say dem dey grind food by push dia teeth up against dia jaws — one surprising technique because if dem dey grind food up against jawbones, e fit cause infection. Di way dem jaws take develop also give adult rhynchosaurs one slope for dia mouth, wey dey make dem dey always smile like “grin.” 😁🦷🤷♂️
While some animals chop food like dis today — including some chameleons — scientists “no really sabi as dem take do am,” na wetin Yara Haridy, one evolutionary biologist for University of Chicago said. She no join for di paper, but she review am for di journal. Use of dis technique dey strange especially for one animal like rhynchosaur wey chop tough plants mostly, and dis dey always spoil dia teeth as time go. “Di wear and tear no too good for you, especially if you still wan dey chop,” Dr. Haridy said. 🦎🌿🤔
Reptiles wey dey alive now dey always grow new teeth to replace di ones wey don spoil as dem dey chop tough food. But rhynchosaurs no dey seem to do dis, or at least dem no do am di same way. To find out how dem take manage di risk wen dem chop, Dr. Benton and im colleagues use X-rays look inside di jaws of rhynchosaurs dem find for one place for Devon, England. Among di fossils dem find na one big rhynchosaur wey suppose don old well-well before e kpeme. 💀🔍
Di X-rays show say instead of just replace teeth wey fall out, rhynchosaurs dey always grow out dia jaws. Di new section of jaw go start near di back of dia mouth and e go get new teeth. Di new teeth and jaw go come push di old ones forward like conveyor belt until dem reach di space wey di worn teeth dey for front. 📷🦷🔄
But di replacement of jaws no dey always work forever. One look at di old rhynchosaur show say e don lose almost all im teeth before e kpeme. Di teeth wey remain don wear reach bone, wey suppose don put di animal for “desperate” situation, Dr. Benton talk. 😢💔
Di discovery suggest say rhynchosaurs wey manage survive reach old age fit don eventually kpeme because of hunger, just like elephants wey no get teeth (and options) as dem dey age. But to prove dis theory, dem go need to find more evidence of starvation for rhynchosaur fossils, Dr. Haridy yan. 📚🔬😮
Di strange way wey dem take chop fit don cause di downfall of rhynchosaurs for di long run. While di scissor technique bin dey work well when ferns full ground, everything change as climate con change near di end of rhynchosaurs’ time for Earth around 225 million years ago, Dr. Benton yan. As dry conditions suddenly show face, conifers come takeover as di main plants. But while early plant-eating dinosaurs fit handle dis tough food well, rhynchosaurs no fit manage am.
“You suppose be specialist well well to fit chop nutrition from conifer needles,” Dr. Benton yan. Rhynchosaurs for sure go “prefer make dem no chop Christmas tree.” 🎄🦎🌿
NOW IN ENGLISH
🚀 Di Sad Story Behind One Fossil ‘Grin’ 🦎🌿😔
Before di time wen dinosaurs start reign for Earth, di world bin dey belong to one group of reptiles wey dem call rhynchosaurs. Dem bin dey as big as pigs and dem prosper everywhere for di planet 225 million to 245 million years ago during di mid and late Triassic Period. Even though dem be di most successful plant-eaters for dia time, “nobody don ever hear about dem,” na wetin Michael Benton, one paleontologist for University of Bristol for England yan. E fit be say dem dey always dey forget dem because of di earliest dinosaurs, but na dem make up like 90 percent of di fossils wey dem find for some Triassic digs. 🦎🌿💥
Scientists don always give dem wild success sake of di unique way wey dem dey chop food. Dem dey use one scissor-like motion grind tough plants between dia teeth and bare bone. But na dis highly unusual way of eating fit don cause wahala for rhynchosaurs as dem dey old. One paper wey dem publish last week for journal Palaeontology by Dr. Benton and im colleagues yan say as rhynchosaurs dey old, dem fit don grind dia teeth reach nothing. As dem no fit chop food again, dem old rhynchosaurs fit don kpeme because of hunger, Dr. Benton talk. 🦷🌾😢
Dr. Benton bin start work on rhynchosaur teeth while e dey earn im Ph.D. for 1980s. As e dey examine dia fossils, e notice say dem dey grind food by push dia teeth up against dia jaws — one surprising technique because if dem dey grind food up against jawbones, e fit cause infection. Di way dem jaws take develop also give adult rhynchosaurs one slope for dia mouth, wey dey make dem dey always smile like “grin.” 😁🦷🤷♂️
While some animals chop food like dis today — including some chameleons — scientists “no really sabi as dem take do am,” na wetin Yara Haridy, one evolutionary biologist for University of Chicago yan. She no join for di paper, but she review am for di journal. Use of dis technique dey strange especially for one animal like rhynchosaur wey chop tough plants mostly, and dis dey always spoil dia teeth as time go. “Di wear and tear no too good for you, especially if you still wan dey chop,” Dr. Haridy yan. 🦎🌿🤔
Reptiles wey dey alive now dey always grow new teeth to replace di ones wey don spoil as dem dey chop tough food. But rhynchosaurs no dey seem to do dis, or at least dem no do am di same way. To find out how dem take manage di risk wen dem chop, Dr. Benton and im colleagues use X-rays look inside di jaws of rhynchosaurs dem find for one place for Devon, England. Among di fossils dem find na one big rhynchosaur wey suppose don old well-well before e kpeme. 💀🔍
Di X-rays show say instead of just replace teeth wey fall out, rhynchosaurs dey always grow out dia jaws. Di new section of jaw go start near di back of dia mouth and e go get new teeth. Di new teeth and jaw go come push di old ones forward like conveyor belt until dem reach di space wey di worn teeth dey for front. 📷🦷🔄
But di replacement of jaws no dey always work forever. One look at di old rhynchosaur show say e don lose almost all im teeth before e kpeme. Di teeth wey remain don wear reach bone, wey suppose don put di animal for “desperate” situation, Dr. Benton talk. 😢💔
Di discovery suggest say rhynchosaurs wey manage survive reach old age fit don eventually kpeme because of hunger, just like elephants wey no get teeth (and options) as dem dey age. But to prove dis theory, dem go need to find more evidence of starvation for rhynchosaur fossils, Dr. Haridy yan. 📚🔬😮
Di strange way wey dem take chop fit don cause di downfall of rhynchosaurs for di long run. While di scissor technique bin dey work well when ferns full ground, everything change as climate con change near di end of rhynchosaurs’ time for Earth around 225 million years ago, Dr. Benton yan. As dry conditions suddenly show face, conifers come takeover as di main plants. But while early plant-eating dinosaurs fit handle dis tough food well, rhynchosaurs no fit manage am.
“You suppose be specialist well well to fit chop nutrition from conifer needles,” Dr. Benton yan. Rhynchosaurs for sure go “prefer make dem no chop Christmas tree.” 🎄🦎🌿
