Recent discovery revealed that a certain type of dinosaur closely linked to modern birds and that of a Tyrannosaurus Rex first lived with chompers but later on grew up losing their teeth. This recent discover somehow sheds more light on the reason why present birds have beaks rather than teeth.
The said discovery was made in China when researchers found a group of 13 dinosaurs in a mud pit. Based on the analysis, the dinosaurs found were tiny limusaurus. The 154 million-year-old fossilized specimen showcased tiny sharp teeth of the said dinosaurs, which were gradually lost as they mature, according to the research published in the journal Current Biology.
Although this particular event is not an unprecedented phenomenon, some individuals prior to the discovery are still perplexed on what specifically happened and how some creatures went from being omnivores to being solely plant-eating herbivores. Information concerning such evolutionary process is highly focused on duck-billed platypus plus some fish and amphibians. That is why this recent discovery is considered critical in shedding more light on the connection between birds and dinosaurs as its alleged ancestor.
"At first we thought they were different dinosaurs - one with teeth and one without and we started to study them separately but they were largely identical and we found solid evidence that teeth were lost," Fox61 quoted evolutionary biologist Wang Shuo as saying. "There were empty tooth sockets in their jaw bones."
This particular discovery is indeed a scientific breakthrough, especially for those who have been espousing that birds evolved from dinosaurs. The mechanism that halted the development of teeth is somehow seen as an intermediate pathway for the origin of beaks. Thus, strengthening the generally considered evolutionary theory.
With more and more discoveries being made in China, it goes to show that the country has steadily positioned itself at the forefront archaeological discoveries. Watch a video presentation of the said theory here: