Docodon was the first docodontan
cynodont found and named, and later gave its name to the
family Docodontidae as well as the
order Docodonta. Docodonts had more complex shaped
teeth than other early non-mammalian mammaliaforms, with piercing and crushing surfaces that would have allowed members of this family to eat a wider range of food types. These complex teeth are more similar to those of later mammal groups, but evolved independently of them. Analysis of the
enamel microstructure of
D. victor has shown that the
species possessed
prismatic enamel. Unlike many of its coexisting mammal relatives from the Mesozoic,
Docodon is known from a large number of teeth and jaws of differing growth stages. This has made it possible to study the growth of this docodontan, and has revealed how docodont jaws change from juvenile stages to adulthood. ==Discovery==