Westbury, NY, resident Valerie Varnuska spends much of her free time learning about science through books and television. Valerie Varnuska is especially interested in paleontology and discoveries in related fields.

1. Limusaurus Inextricabilis - The
Dinosaur That Lost Its Teeth
Valerie Varnuska

2. Introduction
 Westbury, NY, resident Valerie Varnuska spends
much of her free time learning about science through
books and television. Valerie Varnuska is especially
interested in paleontology and discoveries in related
fields.
Scientists recently uncovered something interesting
about Limusaurus inextricabilis, a dinosaur in the
theropod group that is closely related to modern
birds. A research team found 19 Limusaurus
skeletons preserved in China's Xinjiang province.
The dinosaurs were of widely varying ages when
they became stuck in the mud there, presenting a
rare opportunity for scientists to compare juveniles
and adults of the same species.

3. Limusaurus Inextricabilis
 It appears that Limusaurus inextricabilis had teeth as
a juvenile, but lost them during adolescence. They
did not grow another set as adults, and remained
toothless dinosaurs. This suggests that the young
may have been either carnivorous or omnivorous,
while the adults were strictly herbivores. Moreover,
this discovery may help explain how modern birds
became toothless.