Reptilian Tooth and Jaw Development

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Reptiles and mammals share a common ancestor dating back more than 300 million years but during evolution significant specializations in the skull and teeth have arisen. Our goal is to determine how and when in development these differences arose. For example, skulls of the majority of reptiles have more openings than mammals. Mammals always have closed palates that separate the oral and nasal cavities. In contrast snakes, lizards and birds have open palates, turtles have a primitive palate and surprisingly alligators have a closed palate like mammals. In the dentition, there are also striking differences in tooth anatomy and replacement capacity. Most snakes, lizards and crocodilians replace their teeth continuously throughout life (polyphyodonty), whereas mammals can only replace their teeth once.