Hypsodont is a pattern of dentition characterized by teeth with high crowns, providing extra material for wear and tear.
Since the morphology of the hypsodont tooth is suited to a more abrasive diet, hypsodonty was thought to have evolved concurrently with the spread of grasslands.
Grass contains phytoliths, silica-rich granules, which wear away dental tissue more quickly.
Analysis has shown, however, that the development of this morphology is out of sync with the spread and flourishing of grasslands.
It is a characteristic of large clades (equids) as well as subspecies level specialization.