Abstract
Skeletal pathologies and oral disease are largely unexplored in fossil carnivores. Dental abnormalities, fractures, trauma, supernumerary teeth, tumours, periodontitis, and other bacterial infections are some of the diseases that leave traces on fossilized skulls, but their identification is not always possible by external observation on the specimen. Moreover a large number of pathologies are “hidden”, partially or completely invisible on the external surface of the bones because their development took place within the bones. The degree and the type of fossilization, the state of preservation and the fossil size are just a few other factors that influence the analysis of these structures. Digital scanning techniques are useful to solve such difficulties. X-ray study can provide valuable information on bone and teeth diseases, by allowing the visualization of the internal structure of the fossil bones, without the alteration and/or destruction of the specimen. Many aspects of the life of carnivores are regulated by their health condition, and in particular by the teeth and jaws conditions, individuals with evident disability due to the pathology and injuries are not able to perform properly some basic activities, such as foraging and defence. This paper presents new methods of non-invasive analysis to identify and understand oral pathologies in fossil carnivores. They can be further explored to obtain detailed palaeoecological reconstructions of their mode of life.
Kurzfassung
Skelett-Pathologien und Mundhöhlenerkrankungen bei fossilen Fleischfressern sind größtenteils unerforscht. Zahnanomalien, Frakturen, Traumata, überzählige Zähne, Tumore, Parodontitis und andere bakterielle Infektionen sind nur einige der Krankheiten, die Spuren auf versteinerten Schädeln hinterlassen, aber ihre Identifizierung ist nicht immer durch eine äußere Beobachtung der Probe möglich. Zudem ist eine große Anzahl von Pathologien “versteckt”, teilweise oder vollständig auf der äußeren Oberfläche der Knochen unsichtbar, da sich ihre Entstehung in den Knochen vollzog. Der Grad und die Art der Versteinerung, der Erhaltungszustand und die Größe des Fossils sind nur einige der Faktoren, welche die Analyse dieser Strukturen beeinflussen. Digitale Scan-Techniken sind dabei durchaus nützlich, solche Schwierigkeiten zu lösen. Mithilfe der Röntgenuntersuchung können wertvolle Informationen über Knochen-und Zahnerkrankungen im Inneren des fossilen Knochenaufbaus dargestellt werden, ohne die jeweilige Probe zu beeinträchtigen und/oder zu zerstören. Viele Aspekte des Lebens von Fleischfressern können an ihren gesundheitlichen Zustand festgestellt werden, insbesondere an dem Zahn - und Kieferzustand. Individuen mit einer erwiesenen Behinderung dieser Strukturen aufgrund von Pathologien und Verletzungen sind nicht in der Lage, einige grundlegende Aktivitäten wie Nahrungssuche und Abwehr ordnungsgemäß durchzuführen. Diese Abhandlung erörtert neue Methoden der nicht-invasiven Analyse, um Mundhöhlenerkrankungen bei fossilen Fleischfressern zu identifizieren und zu verstehen. Sie können somit weitergehend untersucht werden, um eine detaillierte paläoökologische Rekonstruktionen ihrer Lebensweise zu erhalten.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Dr. M. Danti and Prof. S. Della Sala (Ospedale M. G. Vannini) for making the CT scanning and Dr. L. Santini (Sapienza University of Rome) for his useful suggestions and help. The authors also express their gratitude to the anonymous reviewer who greatly improved this article with constructive criticisms, comments and suggestions.
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Iurino, D.A., Sardella, R. Medical CT scanning and the study of hidden oral pathologies in fossil carnivores. Paläontol Z 89, 251–259 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-013-0220-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-013-0220-2