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About Heterodontosaurus:
The name of this dinosaur is a mouthful, in more ways than one. Heterodontosaurus earned its moniker thanks to its three distinct kinds of teeth: incisors (for slicing through vegetation) on the upper jaw, chisel-shaped teeth (for grinding said vegetation) further back, and two pairs of tusks jutting out from the upper and lower lip.
From an evolutionary point of view, Heterodontosaurus' incisors and molars are easy to explain. The tusks pose more of a problem: some experts think these were only found on males, and were a sexually selected characteristic (meaning female Heterodontosauruses were more inclined to mate with big-tusked males). However, it's also possible that all individuals had these tusks, and used them for defense against predators.
The recent discovery of a juvenile Heterodontosaurus bearing a full set of canines has shed more light on this issue. It's now believed that this dinosaur may have been omnivorous, supplementing its largely plant diet with the occasional small mammal or lizard.
