Ancient reptile had mammal-like tooth enamel

Priosphenodon specimens found in Argentina show the Late Cretaceous reptile evolved to have resilient tooth enamel similar to that in mammals. A new study by McGill University and the University of Alberta (UofA) paleontologists shows that one type of ancient reptiles evolved a special type of tooth enamel, similar to that of mammals, with high resistance to wear and tear. The study is the first to report this kind of enamel in a fossil reptile. The reptile-known as Priosphenodon -was a herbivore from the Late Cretaceous period that was about one metre in length. Part of a group of reptiles called sphenodontians, these reptiles are unique in that they lost their ability to replace individual teeth. Instead, sphenodontians added new teeth to the back ends of their jaws as they grew. " Priosphenodon has the strangest teeth I have personally ever seen," said Aaron LeBlanc, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biological Sciences at the UofA and lead author on the study.