Functional dental morphology and diet selection in dasyurids (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae).

Abstract

Parallels are drawn between the problems of herbivory, where an obstructive envelope surrounds the relatively easily digested cell contents, and insectivory, where the exoskeleton must be penetrated to expose the contents. The interrelationships and significance of functional dental morphology, diet selection and digestion in herbivores are reviewed. Similar data is not available for the insectivorous dasyurids. However, the analogies with herbivores suggest that the observed subtle differences in dasyurid dentitions may reflect differences in diet selection. If so, at least some dasyurids may not be as opportunistic in their arthropod diets as has been suggested; rather they may be more selective in their choice of prey.