diprotodont

Diprotodont is a dental term used to describe a two-incisor arrangement in the lower jaw of certain mammals. Diprotodonts have two large, forward-projecting incisors on the lower jaw, typically with upper incisors that are smaller or reduced. This pattern is most closely associated with marsupials and is the defining dental characteristic of the order Diprotodontia.

In living species, diprotodonts include many familiar Australian marsupials such as kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, possums, and wombats. The prominent lower incisors are often used for cropping vegetation, and they interact with the upper teeth to form a functional biting edge. The trait is a key feature used in mammalian systematics and paleontology to identify relationships among fossil and living marsupials and to infer aspects of their feeding ecology.

The term is primarily descriptive, reflecting a distinctive dental specialization rather than representing a formal taxonomic rank on its own. It helps distinguish a major lineage of marsupials, including the large-bodied diprotodonts of ancient and modern Australia, from other mammalian groups with different incisor patterns.