In paleobiology, the presence or absence of the interdental plate can determine the place of an animal in the evolutionary scale, and paleontologists use the interdental plate when trying to classify a new specimen. Thecodont reptiles and theropod dinosaur fossils have an interdental plate, whereas acrodont reptiles such as Sphenodontia do not.
In paleobiology, the presence or absence of the interdental plate can determine an animal's position on the evolutionary scale, and paleontologists use this feature to classify new specimens. Thecodont reptiles and theropod dinosaurs have an interdental plate, whereas acrodont reptiles like Sphenodontia do not.