Cladotheria

Early cladotherians can be distinguished from other mammals by a number of derived traits (apomorphies). Their teeth differed from those of the "symmetrodonts" by the evolution of a talonid shelf (hypoflexid) on the lower molars, which occluded with the paracone of the corresponding upper molars. A true talonid basin, allowing for the crushing and grinding of food, was however absent in early-diverging groups like the dryolestoids, amphitheriids and peramurids. Cladotherians are also distinguished by a backwards-pointing angular process at the rear end of the dentary bone, below the jaw joint. The shape of this process indicates that early cladotherians had a more transverse (side-to-side) chewing motion than more basal mammal groups. The connection of the middle ear bones to the dentary through an ossified Meckel's cartilage appears to have been lost in cladotherians, but a cartilaginous connection may have been retained in early-diverging groups. == Phylogeny ==

Cladogram after Panciroli et al. 2018:}}}}}}}}|label1=Cladotheria}} The cladogram after Lasseron et al 2022:}}}}}}}}}} ==References==