DOI: 10.5061/dryad.jq2bvq8jf
title: The Category-Modifier system: a hierarchical classification scheme for vertebrate tooth marks - supplementary tables

description: Preserved records of tooth-bone interactions, known as tooth marks, can
 yield a wealth of information regarding organismal behavior and ecology.
 For this reason, workers in a wide range of disciplines, but particularly
 paleontology, have inspected and interpreted these features for decades.
 Although previous studies have gleaned invaluable insights, they have also
 described tooth marks using terminological frameworks that have been
 incompletely defined, have incorporated behavioral hypotheses in
 definitions, and/or have been inconsistently applied. To address these
 problems, we introduce the Category-Modifier (CM) system, the first system
 to both sort tooth marks into clearly defined main categories and use
 descriptive modifiers to characterize their appearance more precisely. The
 CM system is designed to apply to a wide range of vertebrates, to enable
 comparisons across disciplines and studies, and to help researchers keep
 their investigations into behavioral hypotheses free of circular
 reasoning.
description: Measurements of tooth marks for UALVP 57561 provided in
 supplementary tables 2 and 3 were taken from a silicone peel (UALVP
 57561.01) using a ruler.  Measurements and modifiers of
 all tooth marks from previous studies provided in supplementary tables 4
 and 5 were taken from published figures using the software ImageJ with the
 exception of DEN2-25. Measurements for tooth marks on DEN2-25 (specimen
 used in D'Amore and Blumenschine 2009, 2012) were obtained from a raw
 spreadhseet of measurements provided to TWH by D. D'Amore. Modifiers
 for tooth marks on DEN2-25 (specimen used in D'Amore and Blumenschine
 2009, 2012) were obtained by direct examination of the tooth marked
 element which was sent to TWH by D. D'Amore. 
description: # Supplementary tables 1-5
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.jq2bvq8jf](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.jq2bvq8jf) Supplementary tables containing specimen information and raw measurements for the tooth marks described in the main text. ## Description of the data and file structure **Supplementary table 1** contains information on the taxonomic identity, type of element and surface preserving the tooth marks shown in figures, tables and supplementary tables. *specimen*: specimen information (e.g., specimen number) as available in the original source *taxon*: taxonomic identity of element *formation*: geologic formation the element was recovered from if applicable *element*: identification and relative level of completeness *surface*: the surface of the element the tooth mark(s) was/were identified on if noted in original publication *placement on element*: the location of the tooth mark(s) on the element if noted in original publication **Supplementary tables 2-5** contains measurements and modifiers for specimens illustrated in the main text. Supplementary tables 2 and 3 contains measurements and modifiers for the specimen used (UALVP 57561) in the worked example (Figure 5) as outlined by the Category-Modifier system. Supplementary tables 4 and 5 contains measurements and modifiers for select examples from the literature shown in Figure 6 as outlined by the Category-Modifier system. *mark number*: number used to identify individual tooth marks in figures in the main text *length*: tooth mark length in mm representing the greatest linear dimension (measured parallel the bone surface) of a given tooth mark *width*: tooth mark width in mm representing the greatest value of the dimension of a given tooth mark parallel to the bone surface but perpendicular to the length *depth*: tooth mark depth in mm representing the greatest value of the dimension perpendicular to the bone surface for a given tooth mark *deepest bone layer modified*: the deepest bone layer modified by a given tooth mark *external/internal*: the external/internal textural modifier assigned to a given tooth mark under the Category-Modifier system *primary/secondary/tertiary*: the primary/secondary/tertiary category assigned to a given tooth mark under the Category-Modifier system *angle*: angle between the line segment that defines the length, and an anatomical reference axis such as the long axis of a tooth marked limb bone *curve#*: the number of curves identified for a given elongate tooth mark *curvature 1/curvature 2/curvature 3*: curvature measurements measured for a given tooth mark. Curvature is the angle defined by three points situated along one edge: the two ends of the edge, and the point of greatest curvature along the edge’s length. When a mark is approximately uniformly curved along its length, the third point is placed at the midpoint of the mark. For marks comprising two or more curves with different orientations, the transition points between successive curves are determined by visual estimation. *curvature modifier*: the curvature modifier assigned to a given mark under the Category-Modifier system based on measured curvature. ## Sharing/Access information Select examples from the literature were taken from the following sources: * Cortés, D., C. De Gracia, J. D. Carrillo-Briceño, G. Aguirre-Fernández, C. Jaramillo, A. Benites-Palomino, and J. E. Atencio-Araúz. 2019: Shark-cetacean trophic interactions during the late Pliocene in the Central Eastern Pacific (Panama). Palaeontologia Electronica 22:1–13. * Drumheller, S. K., and C. A. Brochu. 2014: A Diagnosis of *Alligator mississippiensis* Bite Marks with Comparisons to Existing Crocodylian Datasets. Ichnos 21:131–146. * Drumheller, S. K., J. B. McHugh, M. Kane, A. Riedel, and D. C. D’Amore. 2020: High frequencies of theropod bite marks provide evidence for feeding, scavenging, and possible cannibalism in a stressed Late Jurassic ecosystem. PLOS ONE 15:e0233115. * D’Amore, D. C., and R. J. Blumensehine. 2009: Komodo monitor (*Varanus komodoensis*) feeding behavior and dental function reflected through tooth marks on bone surfaces, and the application to ziphodont paleobiology. Paleobiology 35:525–552. * D’Amore, D. C., and R. J. Blumenschine. 2012: Using striated tooth marks on bone to predict body size in theropod dinosaurs: a model based on feeding observations of *Varanus komodoensis*, the Komodo monitor. Paleobiology 38:79–100. * Hone, D. W. E., and M. Watabe. 2010: New Information on Scavenging and Selective Feeding Behaviour of Tyrannosaurids. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 55:627–634. * Njau, J. K., and R. J. Blumenschine. 2006: A diagnosis of crocodile feeding traces on larger mammal bone, with fossil examples from the Plio-Pleistocene Olduvai Basin, Tanzania. Journal of Human Evolution 50:142–162. * Tanke, D. H., and P. J. Currie. 2000: Head-biting behavior in theropod dinosaurs: Paleopathological evidence. Gaia 15:167–184.