This new combination of analyses was performed on the teeth of carnivorous dinosaurs, named theropods, from a set of isolated teeth from the famous Cretaceous (~100 million years old) Kem Kem beds of Morocco. It turned out to reveal a theropod species previously not found in this area.

Fossilized remains from this site very often comprise teeth, whereas very few dinosaur bones preserve well, leaving scientists often guessing which dinosaur left these teeth behind. Among the study specimens were teeth from the famous Spinosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus, known from movies such as the Jurassic Park franchise.

Next to these easily recognizable tooth morphotypes, some 'mystery teeth' were also analyzed. These teeth were previously classified as belonging to the dromaeosaurid family of Velociraptor fame.

Brand new insights

Simon Wills, a scientific associate at the Natural History Museum who led the research, says, "The use of machine learning to identify theropod teeth has thrown the doors wide open to the ecosystem of the dinosaurs that roamed the Kem Kem 100 million years ago. It was fascinating to see how the powerful tool accurately identified the specimens when combined with traditional methods."