.30" Raptor Tooth - Saurornitholestes Characteristics

This tooth in particular shows morphology similar to that of Saurornitholestes. Its posterior serrations are pointed upward slightly and the anterior serrations are much smaller. It is .30" long with beautiful enamel and comes in an acrylic display case.

Many of the raptor teeth found in the Hell Creek Formation show morphological differences that are often attributed to taxon from other formations of different ages. Among those are Saurornitholestes, Richardoestesia gilmorei, Richardoestesia isosceles, and Paronychodon. Remains of all of these species are fragmentary and some known only from teeth, so evidence is lacking to definitively show that they were present in the formation.

The 2013 study concluded that Acheroraptor was the only dromaeosaurid from the Hell Creek Formation and that dromaeosaurid teeth that had been attributed to other taxa should be identified as Acheroraptor. Many other paleontologists that work on the Hell Creek Formation would dispute this finding though, but there needs to be more skeletal material found.

That is why this tooth is labeled "cf. Saurornitholestes" Saurornitholestes most closely resembles Velociraptor, although the precise relationships of the Dromaeosauridae are still relatively poorly understood.