ArticleScientific reports2021
Biomechanical insights into the dentition of megatooth sharks (Lamniformes: Otodontidae).
Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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14 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Reassessment of the possible size, form, weight, cruising speed, and growth parameters of the extinct megatooth shark,Palaeontologia electronica (Online) · 2025Article
- Finite element and microstructural analyses indicate that pteraspid heterostracan oral plate microstructure was adapted to a mechanical function.Palaeontology · 2024Article
- Morphological evolution and functional consequences of giantism in tyrannosauroid dinosaurs.iScience · 2024Article
- Divergent strategies in cranial biomechanics and feeding ecology of the ankylosaurian dinosaurs.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Dental form and function in the early feeding diversification of dinosaurs.Science advances · 2022Article
- Taking a stab at modelling canine tooth biomechanics in mammalian carnivores with beam theory and finite-element analysis.Royal Society open science · 2022Article
- Cenozoic megatooth sharks occupied extremely high trophic positions.Science advances · 2022Article
- The efficacy of computed tomography scanning versus surface scanning in 3D finite element analysis.PeerJ · 2022Article
- One step further in biomechanical models in palaeontology: a nonlinear finite element analysis review.PeerJ · 2022Review
- Finite element analysis relating shape, material properties, and dimensions of taenioglossan radular teeth with trophic specialisations in Paludomidae (Gastropoda).Scientific reports · 2021Article
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2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The evolution of gigantism in extinct otodontid sharks was paralleled by a series of drastic modifications in their dentition including widening of the crowns, loss of lateral cusplets, and acquisition of serrated cutting edges. These traits have generally been interpreted as key functional features that enabled the transition from piscivory to more energetic diets based on marine mammals, ultimately leading to the evolution of titanic body sizes in the most recent forms (including the emblematic Otodus megalodon). To investigate this hypothesis, we evaluate the biomechanics of the anterior, lateral, and posterior teeth of five otodontid species under different loading conditions by using two-dimensional finite element analysis. Stress distribution patterns are remarkably similar among all models under puncture and draw (i.e., when subjected to vertical and lateral forces, respectively). Contrary to expectation, higher average stress values are detected under both loading scenarios in more recent species. Altogether, this suggests little correlation between tooth morphology and key aspects of biomechanical behaviour in otodontids, making it difficult to frame the morphological trend of their dentitions within an adaptive scenario. We propose that this pattern most likely emerged as a non-functional by-product of heterochronic processes driven by selection towards larger body sizes.
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