and caecilians.

Function

Palatal dentition is widely thought to help manipulate food in the mouth in combination with the tongue, including by increasing grip, in some cases likely helping to restrain prey. In some lineages their function was modified. In Sphenodontidae (including the tuatara), the tooth row on the palatine bone is enlarged and orientated parallel to the upper marginal tooth row, with the lower marginal tooth row slotting between them,

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