Performance trade-offs define a fundamental dental dichotomy in mammals.

Teeth define mammalian evolution, and one of many adaptive dental breakthroughs in crown mammals is the tribosphenic molar: a tooth with a dual shearing-crushing function, often considered a key adaptation in crown mammals.

Teeth define mammalian evolution, and one of many adaptive dental breakthroughs in crown mammals is the tribosphenic molar: a tooth with a dual shearing-crushing function, often considered a key adaptation in crown mammals. However, we do not know how potential trade-offs…