Description
This is A 1/2 inch “Spitter” Fossil baby Nanotyrannus Tooth. This is a real dinosaur tooth from the Badlands of South Dakota.
This tooth was found by famed paleontologist Walter Stein at one of his leased dig sites outside Belle Fourche, South Dakota. The numbers on the label are his way of cataloging each fossil found at the site.
This Fossil Baby Nanotyrannus Dinosaur Tooth is from the front of the mouth. It is a pre-maxillary tooth. There is much argument among paleontologists that consider this dinosaur to be a T-Rex. But there are sufficient differences that others believe it is a different species.
The Nanotyrannus was a meat eater. Because they ate meat sometimes the teeth would hit a bone and break off. Because of this they needed teeth that would constantly regrow. This is a “Spitter” a tooth that has fallen out of the mouth. Because these teeth grew very quickly they would often lose them. Because this fossil Dinosaur Tooth was not found with an associated skeleton it is considered a lost tooth. In this case a “Spitter”.
It was found in the Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota. This area of the country is well known for many dinosaur species. Because the Nanotyrannus was a meat eater it is assumed they hunted and killed weak or injured plant eaters.
