Crocodile Teeth Research Articles

Crocodiles of the Ouémé lower valley in Southern Benin: Local perceptions, uses and conservation challenges

The Ouémé Lower Valley, located in Southern Benin, is renowned for its rich biodiversity, which includes three species of crocodiles. Despite the presence of the crocodile species, the relation between these species and the local population is not well known. In this study, we aimed to examine local perceptions of crocodiles, document their uses, and identify conservation challenges. Over a period of 10 months, we surveyed the local population to understand their perceptions of crocodiles and the uses they make of these animals. Given the critical role of perceived threats in shaping conservation attitudes and behaviours, our objective also included analyzing perceived threats to crocodiles. From the 420 individuals interviewed, 90 % have a negative perception of crocodiles, perceiving them as harmful. However, 10 % of respondents, mainly from the 'Xwla' ethnic group, have a positive perception, perceiving crocodiles as harmless and beneficial. Local communities attribute various virtues to crocodile by-products, with crocodile teeth being the most cited, valued for their protective qualities. According to them, the decline in crocodile populations in the area is attributed primarily to poaching, agriculture, and sand extraction, as reported by 35 %, 28 %, and 22 % of respondents, respectively. Educational initiatives aimed at raising awareness about the ecological significance of crocodiles should be implemented, particularly targeting ethnic groups with negative perceptions of crocodiles in the region. Future researches are also needed in order to study in deep the impacts of anthropic activities on the crocodile population in the area.

Interaksionisme Simbolik Makna Piduduk Dalam Kepercayaan Masyarakat Banjar di Desa Sungai Kupang, Kabupaten Banjar

The Banjar community in Banjar Regency, especially in Sungai Kupang Village, has a culture that is still maintained today, namely the piduduk tradition of carrying out marriages and melabuh buaya. The purpose of this research is to find out how the implementation and meaning contained in this tradition. The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative. Data collection techniques using observation, interviews and documentation. The results of the research obtained in this study are that the piduduk tradition for marriage is carried out before the event takes place and for the piduduk melabuh buaya tradition it is held once a year. For the implementation of piduduk marriage, it can be carried out by anyone, but piduduk for melabuh buaya is only carried out by descendants. The meaning in the piduduk tradition is that both are a means of communication with supernatural beings, but the meaning in the content provided to piduduk has a different meaning. In the wedding ceremony, the contents of the piduduk are provided in the form of 3 liters of rice which is interpreted as a source of sustenance, boiled eggs which are interpreted as an element of fertility in marriage and one cup of brown sugar which is interpreted as a sweetener in husband-wife relations. The contents of piduduk in the melabuh buaya are bananas which are interpreted as crocodile teeth, sticky rice which is colored yellow is interpreted as crocodile stomachs and boiled eggs which are interpreted as crocodile navels. The conclusion is that the piduduk tradition in the beliefs of the Banjar people in Sungai Kupang Village, Banjar Regency is a tradition that has been carried out from generation to generation and is still maintained today.

Fossil leaves, woods, gastropods, and a crocodile tooth: Is the Amagá Formation worth exploring?

We have generated a spatial framework for macrofossil searching based on the current knowledge of fossil localities and fossil beds reported for the Amagá Formation in the northwestern Andes in Colombia. Our results show that twenty-three fossil localities and ninety-five fossil beds are distributed along this sedimentary succession. Preservation potential is higher in the Lower Member, given the high accommodation space and the dominance of a meandering fluvial system, compared with the Upper Member, where there was less accommodation space with a braided fluvial system controlling it. Our findings show that even though paleontological studies are null in this area, there are several options to find terrestrial macrofossil assemblages that will allow us to investigate the possible biological role of global climatic changes and regional tectonics in the Neotropical biomes based on the Amagá Formation.

High-accuracy in the classification of butchery cut marks and crocodile tooth marks using machine learning methods and computer vision algorithms

Some researchers using traditional taphonomic criteria (groove shape and presence/absence of microstriations) have cast some doubts about the potential equifinality presented by crocodile tooth marks and stone tool butchery cut marks. Other researchers have argued that multivariate methods can efficiently separate both types of marks. Differentiating both taphonomic agents is crucial for determining the earliest evidence of carcass processing by hominins. Here, we use an updated machine learning approach (discarding artificially bootstrapping the original imbalanced samples) to show that microscopic features shaped as categorical variables, corresponding to intrinsic properties of mark structure, can accurately discriminate both types of bone modifications. We also implement new deep-learning methods that objectively achieve the highest accuracy in differentiating cut marks from crocodile tooth scores (99% of testing sets). The present study shows that there are precise ways of differentiating both taphonomic agents, and this invites taphonomists to apply them to controversial paleontological and archaeological specimens.

Record of Additional Middle Eocene Vertebrate Remains from the Mikir Hills, NE India: Implications on Paleoenvironment and Paleobiogeography

The fossiliferous middle Eocene deposits of Sylhet Limestone of Mikir Hills have yielded vertebrate and invertebrate faunas. The fossil assemblages recorded in this contribution consist of shark, ray, crocodile, conical tooth, broken fragments and echinoderm spines. Ray and crocodile tooth are reporting for the first time from the Mikir Hills. Paleoenvironmental analysis based on the fossil fish assemblage in association with invertebrate (foraminifera) remains and sedimentogical observations suggest a shallow marine environment ranging from open marine, inner neritic to more proximal coastal settings. Also, the presence of common marine elements (similar faunas) from Kutch, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Assam (India), New Hampshire, Libya, Iraq, Iran, North Western Sahara (Algeria), Tanzania (East Africa), Italy, Germany, Southern North Sea basin (Europe) based on previous published works and the present finding testifies to the connection of the Tethys Sea during Lutetian-Bartonian of middle Eocene.

Crocodile Tooth Histology from a Pliocene Deposit in Chinchilla, Queensland

Chinchilla in the Western Downs Region of Queensland is home to the Chinchilla Rifle Range, a palaeontological site that has produced a significant well-preserved Pliocene vertebrate assemblage. Here, we describe and discuss the histology of a crocodile tooth recovered from the ca 3.5-million-year-old Chinchilla Sand deposit in the Rifle Range. The tooth is from the posterior jaw and likely belongs to a species of Paludirex. We discuss the tooth micro-morphology in relation to what is known about tooth histology in extant and extinct crocodylians with brevirostine and platyrostral skull morphology. We hypothesised that there should be several similarities in the tooth micro-structures between related extinct and extant taxa. We found that the Chinchilla Sand fossil tooth is characterised by thin enamel that is likely prismless but shows incremental striations (also seen in dentine), similar to other crocodylians. This short study highlights the importance of microscopic techniques applied to fossil material. With further fossil evidence emerging from Chinchilla, and application of three-dimensional microscopy techniques to understand the nature of Paludirex enamel prisms, a better understanding of reptile palaeobiology can be developed for Queensland and Australia.

Fossil herbivores and crocodiles as paleoclimatic indicators of environmental shifts from Bed I and Bed II times of the Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

The radiation and extinction of East African vertebrate fauna have been linked to key climatic changes that occurred around 2.8, 1.7, and 0.5 Ma. This study tests whether vegetation and diet changes were linked to these climatic fluctuations, focusing on the climatic event at 1.7 Ma, by analyzing the stable isotope composition of fossil herbivore teeth from the Olduvai Gorge's stratigraphic units Upper Bed I, Lower Bed II, and Upper Bed II, which span ~1.83–1.33 Ma, in order to detect shifts in herbivore diets from C3 to C4 plants in conjunction with their drinking water isotope geochemistry. C4 grass expansion is known to be favored by drier conditions, and this study tests whether herbivore diets permanently changed to being C4 dominant at this key time period. Crocodile teeth are also tested to determine if they may be used as paleoclimatic indicators, since large crocodiles prey on terrestrial herbivores in wetland settings.Vertebrate bioapatite carbon and oxygen isotope compositions are found to show similar trends as those of pedogenic carbonates (carbonate nodules, or concretions), which reflect a drying environment that was changing from C3 woodland dominated habitats to mixed woodlands and grasslands from Bed I to Lower Bed II times. While a return to more humid conditions in Upper Bed II might be expected to lead to a reversal to C3 plants, herbivores in this study retained mostly the drought-resistant C4 plant diet. These results indicate that vegetation and ecosystems passed through a threshold to C4 domination that did not revert to C3 despite partial reversals in climate that occurred later. Crocodile teeth were not useful in tracking C4 plant expansion, but the oxygen isotopes from modern crocodiles are able to show seasonal cycles from wet to dry seasons, and Bed I crocodiles indicate a degree of annual seasonal changes during that time as well.

Women and the War on Boko Haram: Wives, Weapons, Witnesses by Hilary Matfess

Reviewed by: Women and the War on Boko Haram: Wives, Weapons, Witnesses by Hilary Matfess Marcel Kitissou (bio) Hilary Matfess, Women and the War on Boko Haram: Wives, Weapons, Witnesses (Zed, 2017), ISBN 978-1-78699-1481, 270 pages. Plutarch (c. 45 to 125 A.D.) asserted that "An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics." As if to echo the warning of the Greek philosopher, twenty centuries later a contemporary writer, Yuval Noah Hariri in his book, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, made the implicit explicit by asserting that "[p]eople are egalitarian by nature, and unequal societies can never function well due to resentment and dissatisfaction."1 Indeed, it is not inequality per se that causes [End Page 729] social dysfunction, but the neglect, if not the oppression, of the poor and the weak, and the injustice that accompanies inequality, particularly if seen as the result of corruption. This is especially salient in the social context in which the Boko Haram insurgency took roots. The structural violence that led to actual violence in Northern Nigeria is meticulously documented and vividly described by Hilary Matfess in her book, Women and the War on Boko Haram: Wives, Weapons, Witnesses. As she stated very forcefully, "because non-inclusive societies have proven to be prone to violence. … Peace in northern Nigeria will not be durable if it is peace made by men."2 The book is a judicious combination of the lived experiences of women, the use and misuse of masculinity, the clash of local traditions with universal norms, the inadequate coordination between local and international institutions, and the shifting lines in a battle without a frontline. Women, while trying not only to survive, but also to control their own fate in this new form of warfare once described with foresight by Martin van Creveld in his book, The Transformation of War,3 are caught in the crossfire of contending masculinities within a patriarchal society. Faced with the dilemma of serving as pawns or players in a war by and of men, they often make the conscious choice of serving alternatively, if not simultaneously, as wives, weapons, and witnesses. Each of the eight chapters of the book, based on extensive interviews, focuses on specific issues. Chapter 1 describes the background of Boko Haram as a case of "horizontal inequalities"4 used by charismatic leaders with "coherent ideology and an organization capable of mobilizing the excluded" who then unite the anti-institutional energy of "the deprived and repressed urban masses."5 Chapter 2 describes the political theology and the interplay of politics and religion in the Nigerian Fourth Republic. What does it mean to be a girl in Nigeria? Chapter 3 addresses this issue and stresses how gender politics is exploited by Boko Haram. In that context, Chapter 4 explains the symbolism of the abduction of the Chibok girls in April 2014 and depicts the dilemma of girls in Northern Nigeria: forced marriage in civil society or forced into marriage with Boko Haram fighters. To borrow a comparison from Hariri describing the process of animal domestication, "Is it better to be devoured by a lion than slaughtered by a man? Are crocodile teeth less deadly than steel blades?"6 In Chapter 5, Matfess insists that women are not passive victims in an oppressive patriarchal society: "The systemic structural violence that women face in Northern Nigerian society makes it easier for some to lend their support to anti-state movements (including the Boko Haram insurgency)"7 and, in so doing, provide reproductive support as wives and serve as weapons. While Chapter 6 points out the dire humanitarian conditions of displaced people in the Lake Chad Basin, Chapter 7 sees [End Page 730] a way forward: "Coupled with research on the importance of female inclusion for social stability and durable peace, it becomes clear that Nigeria's future must be female if it is to be peaceful."8 For Matfess, thus, if the society is to avoid recreating the conditions that lead to war, women have to be mainstreamed in post-conflict negotiations and reconstruction. Consequently, Chapter 8 focuses on best practices such as what...

Ancient animal and human bone cuts could be the work of crocodile teeth instead of early butchers

Ancient animal and human bone cuts could be the work of crocodile teeth instead of early butchers

Chemical and Structural Information from the Enamel of a Troodon Tooth Leading to an Understanding of Diet and Environment.

Synchrotron micro X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy with two-dimensional element mapping, micro X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to investigate the chemical and structural nature of the enamel of a tooth from Troodon, a small theropod dinosaur. These methods show that the crystallites in the Troodon tooth are submicron-sized carbonated calcium hydroxyapatite, which are semi-randomly oriented with a preferred orientation of (002) towards the surface of the tooth. Transition metal ions are distributed in the voids between crystallite clusters. Comparison of the ESR spectra indicates that the Troodon tooth had less exposure to UV than a fossilized crocodile tooth.

Characterization of crocodile teeth: Correlation of composition, microstructure, and hardness

Structure and composition of teeth of the saltwater crocodile Crocodylus porosus were characterized by several high-resolution analytical techniques. X-ray diffraction in combination with elemental analysis and infrared spectroscopy showed that the mineral phase of the teeth is a carbonated calcium-deficient nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite in all three tooth-constituting tissues: Dentin, enamel, and cementum. The fluoride content in the three tissues is very low (<0.1 wt.%) and comparable to that in human teeth. The mineral content of dentin, enamel, and cementum as determined by thermogravimetry is 71.3, 80.5, and 66.8 wt.%, respectively. Synchrotron X-ray microtomography showed the internal structure and allowed to visualize the degree of mineralization in dentin, enamel, and cementum. Virtual sections through the tooth and scanning electron micrographs showed that the enamel layer is comparably thin (100-200 μm). The crystallites in the enamel are oriented perpendicularly to the tooth surface. At the dentin-enamel-junction, the packing density of crystallites decreases, and the crystallites do not display an ordered structure as in the enamel. The microhardness was 0.60±0.05 GPa for dentin, 3.15±0.15 GPa for enamel, 0.26±0.08 GPa for cementum close to the crown, and 0.31±0.04 GPa for cementum close to the root margin. This can be explained with the different degree of mineralization of the different tissue types and is comparable with human teeth.

RECONSTRUCTING PALEOCATCHMENTS BY INTEGRATING STABLE ISOTOPE RECORDS, SEDIMENTOLOGY, AND TAPHONOMY: A LATE CRETACEOUS CASE STUDY (MONTANA, UNITED STATES)

Robust isotopic reconstructions of climate, elevation, and biology require a reasonable capture of the range of isotopic variability across a paleolandscape. Here, we illustrate how integrating multiple proxies derived from a variety of paleoenvironments aids in this effort. We determined d 18O and d13C values from lake and soil carbonates, unionid shells, gar scales, and crocodile teeth from multiple depositional environments (lakes, soils, ponds, streams, and large rivers) spanning a 300 km proximal-to-distal transect within the Late Cretaceous foreland basin of Montana. Two major patterns emerge. First, quiet water environments display higher d 18O and lower d13C values than large rivers, which indicates greater input from local precipitation compared to highaltitude runoff, and a relatively larger contribution of degraded vegetative matter to the dissolved inorganic carbon load. Second, proxies with seasonal biases toward late spring and summer growth display lower d18O and d13C values in the basin proximal setting compared to the distal coastal setting, which is linked to the rainout history of vapor masses moving across the foreland basin. Overall these isotopic patterns mirror those in modern catchments, support hypotheses of monsoonal rainfall within the basin, and suggest a hypsometric mean elevation of ,2.6 km within the Sevier orogenic belt. Furthermore, our results indicate a potential to subdivide freshwater paleoecosystems to refine paleobiologic studies of habitat preference and migration patterns.

Giant rhinoceros Paraceratherium and other vertebrates from Oligocene and middle Miocene deposits of the Kağızman-Tuzluca Basin, Eastern Turkey

A recent fieldwork in the Kağızman-Tuzluca Basin in northeastern Turkey led us to the discovery of three vertebrate localities which yielded some limb bones of the giant rhino Paraceratherium, a crocodile tooth, and some small mammals, respectively. These discoveries allowed, for the first time to date some parts of the sedimentary units of this basin. This study also shows that the dispersal area of Paraceratherium is wider than it was known before. Eastern Turkey has several Cenozoic sedimentary basins formed during the collision of the Arabian and Eurasian plates. They are poorly documented for vertebrate paleontology. Consequently, the timing of tectonic activities, which led to the formation of the East Anatolian accretionary complex, is not constrained enough with a solid chronological framework. This study provides the first biostratigraphic evidences for the infill under the control of the compressive tectonic regime, which built the East Anatolian Plateau.

Macropalaeontology and stratigraphy of lacustrine Miocene deposits at Crnika beach on the Island of Pag (Croatia)

The sequence of Miocene fossiliferous marls of the Crnika beach, along the south west shore of Pag Bay, consists of an alternation of silty and clayey marls, sandstones, coaly clays, coal-bearing strata and sparse intercalations of bentonite in the older part, and of an alternation of calcitic marls and organogenic fossiliferous limestones with several coal strata in the younger part. Some of the strata are highly fossiliferous and rich in various species of freshwater gastropods of the genera Melanopsis, Theodoxus, Pyrgula, Prososthenia, Orygoceras and Valvatawith the new species V. (?Costovalvata) pagana. Bivalves are represented by the genera Congeria, Unio, Pisidium. There is also, a rich ostracod assemblage, and remains of flora: twigs, leaves and seeds of higher and lower plants, and agglomerations of aquatic grasses and algae. Fish bones and teeth, as well as the crocodile tooth, are not particularly common, but they do help to complement the image of the diversity of the biological association that lived in the ancient lake and along its shores. According to facies analysis, the Miocene deposits of the Island of Pag, were deposited on the south-western edge of Paratethys, which has been moved more westward and south-westward within Croatian territory.

Chemical composition of enamel and dentine in modern reptile teeth

AbstractElemental distribution maps by wavelength-dispersive electron microprobe of enamel and dentine in modern crocodile teeth illustrate variations in both minor and major elements. Mg has the largest difference between the enamel and dentine, being enriched in the dentine. Mg, Ca and P are not homogeneously distributed in the dentine, but their distribution reflects changes during growth of the teeth. These variations in compositional differences of teeth from modern samples potentially can assist in establishing growth rates in fossil teeth samples, and thereby provide information on the physiology of extant species.

Evidence for Late Cretaceous Volcanism in Trans‐Pecos Texas

Cretaceous basaltic pyroclastic strata have been discovered in a fault block on the southern edge of the Rosillos Mountains laccolith in the Big Bend area of Trans‐Pecos Texas. The sequence comprises base‐surge and pyroclastic‐fall deposits inferred to have accumulated on the flanks of a small phreatomagmatic volcano. A diverse assemblage of freshwater turtles (including Aspideretes), crocodile teeth, and dinosaur bones have been recovered from the uppermost part of the sequence. The fauna indicate a Late Cretaceous, probably Campanian age. An outward‐dipping normal fault bounding the pyroclastic strata on the southeast juxtaposes sediments of the Upper Cretaceous Javelina Formation in the hanging wall with pyroclastic rocks in the footwall, indicating the pyroclastic strata must be Maastrichtian or older. U‐Pb SHRIMP‐RG analyses of zircons separated from a basaltic block thrown out of the volcano yield an inferred igneous crystallization age of $$72.6\pm 1.5$$ Ma, consistent with the biostratigraphic and structural evidence. The pyroclastic strata in the fault block provide the first evidence for Late Cretaceous volcanism in the Trans‐Pecos region. Previously, the onset of igneous activity in the area was thought to be no older than 64 Ma. We speculate that the basaltic pyroclastic rocks represent an extension of the Upper Cretaceous Balcones magmatic province into Trans‐Pecos Texas.

Oxygen isotope fractionation between crocodilian phosphate and water

Oxygen isotope compositions of phosphate (δ 18O p) were measured in tooth enamel from captive and wild individuals of 8 crocodilian species. A rough linear correlation is observed between the δ 18O p of all the studied species and the oxygen isotope composition of ambient water (δ 18O w). Differences in mean air temperature, diet and physiology could contribute significantly to the large scatter of δ 18O p values. The combination of these parameters results in a fractionation equation for which the slope (0.82) is lower than that expected (≥ 1) from predictive model equations that assume temperature and diet as fixed parameters. Taking into account large uncertainties, the observed oxygen isotope fractionation between phosphate and ambient water does not statistically differ from that formerly established for aquatic turtles. Case studies show that δ 18O p values of fossil crocodile tooth enamel can be used to discriminate between marine and freshwater living environments within a precision of about ± 2‰ only.

Late Cretaceous crocodile remains from Naskal (India): comparisons and biogeographic affinities

Crocodile teeth from the Maastrichtian inter-trappean beds of Naskal (peninsular India) are described here. Because of isolated denticles visible on sufficiently preserved carinae, the presence of a strong heterodonty (in size and shape), and by comparison to crocodile teeth from various taxa, they are considered as representing a ziphodont form with a heterodont dentition. The difference between ziphodont, “false ziphodont” and non-ziphodont dentitions is evaluated. With the help of scanning electron microscope photographs, it is shown that only precise characteristics of the denticles and not the tooth shape, allow to distinguish the three categories. These three categories do not correspond to monophyletic groups. It is also shown that the “alligatorid” heterodonty, meso- or eusuchian in grade, exists in each category. Although the ziphodont dentition is not sufficient to allow a taxonomical definition, the peculiarities that it often presents, depending on the taxa as well as the teeth shape, enable systematic approaches. An examination of previous works on the possible ziphodont crocodiles from the Tertiary deposits of the Indian subcontinent and on Naskal teeth demonstrate that the latter are closer to those of some Gondwanan crocodiles of mesosuchian grade, known from the early Cretaceous of Africa and possibly a form from the late Cretaceous of Madagascar. They are excluded from eusuchian Laurasiatic as well as Paleogene forms of the Indian subcontinent, either ziphodont or not. Contrary to the earlier works on the inter-trappean crocodiles, the present study removes this group as one of the evidences in support of an early (late Cretaceous-early Tertiary) India/Asia collision model. In fact, it provides an additional support for the existence of possible Cretaceous biogeographic links between India, Madagascar, Africa, and South America.

Multiple taxon–multiple locality approach to providing oxygen isotope evidence for warm-blooded theropod dinosaurs

Oxygen isotope ratios of fossil remains of coexisting taxa from several different localities can be used to help investigate dinosaur thermoregulation. Focusing on the Late Cretaceous, oxygen isotope ratios of crocodile tooth enamel from four separate localities exhibit less of a decrease with latitude than do ratios of tooth enamel from coexisting theropod dinosaurs. A shallower latitudinal gradient for crocodiles is consistent with how oxygen isotope ratios should vary for heterothermic animals having body temperatures coupled with their environments (“cold blooded”), while a steeper gradient for theropods is consistent with how these ratios should vary for homeothermic animals having constant body temperatures independent of their environments (“warm blooded”). This inferred homoethermy in theropods is likely due to higher rates of metabolic heat production relative to crocodiles and is not an artifact of body size.

Yaqui Deer Songs/Maso Bwikam: A Native American Poetry. Larry Evers , Felipe S. MolinaCleaned the Crocodile's Teeth: Nuer Song. Terese Svoboda , Greenfield Center

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook Reviews and NotesYaqui Deer Songs/Maso Bwikam: A Native American Poetry. Larry Evers , Felipe S. Molina Cleaned the Crocodile's Teeth: Nuer Song. Terese Svoboda , Greenfield CenterPhilip K. BockPhilip K. Bock Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Journal of Anthropological Research Volume 43, Number 4Winter, 1987Critiques and Responses Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/jar.43.4.3630548 Views: 7Total views on this site Copyright 1987 The University of New MexicoPDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.