Several early studies suggested that heterodontosaurids were very primitive ornithischians. Due to supposed similarities in the morphology of the forelimbs, Robert Bakker proposed a relationship between heterodontosaurids and early sauropodomorphs like Anchisaurus, bridging the orders Saurischia and Ornithischia.
Initial research indicated that heterodontosaurids were considered to be among the earliest members of ornithischians. Robert Bakker suggested a link between heterodontosaurids and early sauropodomorphs like Anchisaurus, suggesting a connection between the orders Saurischia and Ornithischia.