A new approach to an old problem: homology of postcanine teeth in therian mammals Open Access

John P. Hunter. Proc Biol Sci (2026) 293 (2063): 20252852. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2025.2852

Excerpt

Since at least Richard Owen, drawing inferences about the homology or identity of teeth across all therian mammals has presented a thorny problem: it has never been clear how the postcanine teeth of marsupials relate to those of placental mammals. Deciding which tooth to compare with which is an important issue for anyone combining observations on the teeth of marsupial and placental mammals in the same analysis, no matter whether one’s questions are matters of phylogeny, comparative biology or transformative evolution.