How Therapod Dinosaurs Swapped Teeth for Bird Beaks

Using fossils and a large comparative analysis of modern animals, a team of evolutionary biologists has found that the loss of teeth and the emergence of beaks are connected processes in theropods. As the beak grew across the dinosaur’s face, it also inhibited the growth of teeth. On an evolutionary scale this transition happened until theropods developed mouths that resembled the bird beaks seen today.