Built to last: The structure, function, and evolution of primate dental enamel

The teeth of every primate, living and extinct, are covered by a hard, dura ble layer of enamel. This is not unique: Almost all mammals have enamel-cov ered teeth. In addition, all of the variations in enamel structure that occ ur in primates are also found in other groups of mammals. Nevertheless, the very complexity of enamel and the variation we see in it on the teeth of l iving and fossil primates raise questions about its evolutionary significan ce. Is the complex structure of primate enamel adaptive? What, if anything, does enamel structure tell us about primate phylogeny? To answer these que stions, we need to look more closely at the characteristics of prismatic en amel in primates and at the distribution of those characteristics, both in relation to our knowledge of primate dental function and feeding ecology an d from a phylogenetic perspective.