Chewing - it's not just for mammals (UCL)

The tuatara, an iconic New Zealand reptile, chews its food in a way unlike any other animal on the planet - challenging the widespread theory that complex chewing ability is restricted to warm-blooded animals. Dr Marc Jones (UCL Cell and Developmental Biology) with colleagues from the University of Hull have developed a sophisticated computer model to demonstrate how the tuatara is able to slice its food like a 'steak knife'. Their research, published in The Anatomical Record, was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and The Palaeontological Association.