What Dinosaur Has 500 Teeth?

How many teeth does the average mammal have? The answer might surprise you, but it’s not zero, and it’s not 50. In fact, the amount of teeth present in mammals varies wildly from species to species and even within species! Some dinosaurs were found to have 500 teeth! So what dinosaur has 500 teeth? And why do their teeth differ so much from our own human dentition? We will discuss that in more detail later on, but first let’s take a look at some of the most noteworthy instances of mammal dentition.

A Brief History of the Dinosaur with 500 Teeth

T-Rex got a lot of press for having 42 teeth lined up in its jaw, but its cousin, Deinocheirus mirificus, had an astounding 52. A few other dinosaurs may have had more teeth — but only if you counted all of their hundreds of cheek teeth or bone-replacing tooth replacements (like T-Rex). It’s unlikely that any other dinosaur had quite as many teeth as Deinocheirus. But how did it use them?

How Dinosaur with 500 Teeth Looked Like

The glyptodont was a mammal that lived from 35 million years ago until its extinction about 10,000 years ago. They had hard shells and pointy knobs all over their body which were very helpful in defending against predators. Although they appear similar to armadillos, glyptodonts belong to an extinct group of mammals called synapsids. The name is a combination of two Greek words: glypto meaning carved or engraved and dont meaning tooth.

Where was Dinosaur with 500 Teeth Found?

Allosaurus is a dinosaur that has 500 teeth. It belongs to a class of dinosaurs called saurischians, which means lizard-hipped. Its nearest relatives were stegosaurs and carnosaurs, but Allosaurus was more closely related to birds than any other dinosaur. The first Allosaurus was found in 1877 by paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh (1831-1899) and it was named by him in 1877.

Is there a Place for Dinosaur with 500 Teeth in Fossil Record?

With all of those teeth, you might think Stygimoloch is an omnivore. It’s not. The dinosaur has no teeth on its upper jaw, making it a herbivore with a side of plants — and one huge snout filled with row after row of cones to chew them down. If you imagine grinding steak in your mouth and your teeth are flat blades, well that’s kind of what these guys were doing too, says Tanke.

Other Prehistoric Creatures that have Weird Dentition

Dinosaur dentition is often fascinating, but it can be just as bizarre. Have you ever wondered how some dinosaur species ate? It’s thought that ankylosaurs had two different sets of teeth: they were capable of both chewing and tearing apart tough plants in their mouth (for food), but also could then use their teeth to rip off flesh from bones (from carcasses). In short, these dinosaurs had one set of chewing teeth and another set meant for ripping/crushing.