Palatodonta

Palatodonta had a single row of at least 10 narrow, pointed teeth on its palate, which is different from the broad, flat crushing teeth of later placodonts.1

Its front teeth were blunt, peg-like, and slightly forward-pointing, similar to those of the placodont Placodus, which used them to pick up hard-shelled prey.1

The only known fossil is a juvenile skull, so scientists think it was a young animal when it died.1

Palatodonta lived in the early Middle Triassic, about 247 to 241 million years ago, in a shallow sea that covered part of Europe.31

Its skull had an L-shaped cheek bone, a feature that links it to early placodonts.1

Palatodonta is the most basal known placodontiform, meaning it branched off before true placodonts evolved their specialized crushing teeth.1