Q.Describe the dentition and endoskeleton of Eutheria.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →[!ANSWER] Eutherian dentition and endoskeleton show a marked step up in specialisation compared with earlier vertebrate classes such as Reptilia.
Unlike the largely uniform (homodont), single-generation (monophyodont or polyphyodont) reptilian tooth arrangement, most eutherian mammals show heterodont dentition, in which the teeth are differentiated into distinct functional types along the jaw: incisors at the front (for cutting or gnawing), canines (for gripping, tearing, or piercing), and premolars and molars further back (for crushing and grinding food) — an arrangement closely tied to a particular mammal's diet (carnivore, herbivore, omnivore). Most eutherians are also diphyodont, meaning they develop two successive sets of teeth over a lifetime: an initial temporary ("milk" or deciduous) set, later shed and replaced by a permanent adult set — unlike reptiles, which typically continue replacing individual teeth throughout life (polyphyodonty). …
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