Histological evidence of trauma in tusks of southern African dicynodonts

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dc.contributor.authorWhitney, Megan R.
dc.contributor.authorTse, Yuen Ting
dc.contributor.authorSidor, Christian A.
dc.date.accessioned2019-01-09T13:43:30Z
dc.date.available2019-01-09T13:43:30Z
dc.date.issued2019-01
dc.description.abstractDicynodonts were a clade of globally-distributed therapsids known for their abundance in the fossil record and for surviving the Permo-Triassic mass extinction. The group had distinctive dental adaptations including a beak and, in many species, paired maxillary tusks. The function of these tusks has long been of interest, yet remains poorly understood.We report here on two instances of unusual morphology in tusk dentine from specimens of: 1) Lystrosaurus from the Karoo Basin of South Africa and, 2) an unidentified dicynodontoid from the Luangwa Basin of Zambia. In both, the cross-sectional shape of the tusk root is lobed and infolded, which histological features suggest is a result of abnormal dentine deposition. We infer that this abnormal morphology is likely the consequence of trauma given its reparative nature and structural similarities to trauma-related morphologies reported in the tusks of modern elephants. This study demonstrates that histological sampling of dicynodont tusks can shed light on the biology of this important clade of therapsids.en_ZA
dc.description.librarianJNC2019en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Geographic Exploration Grant NGS-158R-18 National Science Foundation PLR-1341304 National Science Foundation DEB-1701383 Palaeontological Scientific Trusten_ZA
dc.funderNational Geographic Exploration Grant NGS-158R-18; National Science Foundation PLR-1341304; DEB-1701383; Palaeontological Scientific Trusten_ZA
dc.identifier.issn2410-4418
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/26243
dc.journal.titlePalaeontologia africanaen_ZA
dc.journal.volume53en_ZA
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.orcid.id0000-0002-6671-5127en_ZA
dc.orcid.id0000-0002-5235-3081en_ZA
dc.orcid.id0003-0742-4829en_ZA
dc.publisherEvolutionary Studies Instituteen_ZA
dc.rightsCopyright 2018 the Authorsen_ZA
dc.subjectDicynodontiaen_ZA
dc.subjectTriassicen_ZA
dc.subjectSouth Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectZambiaen_ZA
dc.subjectPermianen_ZA
dc.subjectpathologyen_ZA
dc.subjectdentineen_ZA
dc.titleHistological evidence of trauma in tusks of southern African dicynodontsen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA
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