HETERODONT

Heterodont

The anatomical term heterodont refers to animals which possess more than a single tooth morphology. For example, members of the Synapsida generally possess incisors, canines , premolars, and molars. The presence of heterodont dentition is evidence of some degree of feeding/hunting specialization in a species. By contrast, homodont dentition is the plesiomorphic state for vertebrates, and is common in elasmobranchs, bony fish, amphibians, and most reptiles. Within the Sauropsida, there are occasionally cases of heterodonty, in some forms of pterosaurs, lizards, and dinosaurs, for example.

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heterodont

Noun

  1. A heterodont animal
  2. A North American snake of the genus

Adjective

  1. Having teeth of different types (like most mammals)


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: heterodont
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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