Armed to the teeth: The underestimated diversity in tooth shape in snakes and its relation to feeding behavior and diet.

ABSTRACT: The structure, composition, and shape of teeth have been related to dietary specialization in many vertebrate species, but comparative studies on snakes' teeth are lacking. Yet, snakes have diverse dietary habits that may impact the shape of their teeth. We hypothesize that prey properties, such as hardness and shape, as well as feeding behavior, such as aquatic or arboreal predation, or holding vigorous prey, impose constraints on the evolution of tooth shape in snakes. We compared the morphology of the dentary teeth of 63 species that cover the phylogenetic and dietary diversity of snakes, using 3D geometric morphometrics and linear measurements. Our results show that prey hardness, foraging substrate, and the main feeding mechanical challenge are important drivers of tooth shape, size,

SUBMITTER: Segall M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10099486 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature