Editing Diprotodon (section)

====Jaws====
[[File:Diprotodon, Natural History Museum, London, Mammals Gallery.JPG|thumb|''Diprotodon'' skull at the [[Natural History Museum, London]]]]

As in kangaroos and wombats, there is a gap between the jointing of the [[palate bone|palate]] (roof of the mouth) and the [[maxilla]] (upper jaw) behind the last molar, which is filled by the [[medial pterygoid plate]].{{sfn|Owen|1870|loc=p. 525}} This would have been the [[insertion (anatomy)|insertion]] for the [[medial pterygoid muscle]] that was involved in closing the jaw. Like many [[grazing (behaviour)|grazers]], the [[masseter muscle]], which is also responsible for closing the jaw, seems to have been the dominant jaw muscle. A probable large [[temporal muscle]] compared to the [[lateral pterygoid muscle]] may indicate, unlike in wombats, a limited range of side-to-side jaw motion means ''Diprotodon'' would have been better at crushing rather than grinding food. The insertion of the masseter is placed forwards, in front of the orbits, which could have allowed better control over the incisors. ''Diprotodon''{{'s}} chewing strategy appears to align more with kangaroos than wombats: a powerful vertical crunch was followed by a transverse grinding motion.<ref name=Sharp2014>{{cite journal |last=Sharp |first=A. C. |year=2014 |title=Three dimensional digital reconstruction of the jaw adductor musculature of the extinct marsupial giant Diprotodon optatum |journal=PeerJ |volume=2 |pages=e514 |issn=2167-8359 |doi=10.7717/peerj.514 |pmid=25165628 |pmc=4137671 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

As in other marsupials, the [[ramus of the mandible]], the portion that goes up to connect with the skull, angles inward. The [[condyloid process]], which connects the jaw to the skull, is similar to that of a koala. The ramus is straight and extends almost vertically, thickening as it approaches the [[body of the mandible]] where the teeth are. The depth of the body of the mandible increases from the last molar to the first. The strong [[mandibular symphysis]], which fuses the two halves of the mandible, begins at the front-most end of the third molar;{{sfn|Owen|1870|loc=pp. 526–527}} this would prevent either half of the mandible from moving independently of the other, unlike in kangaroos which use this ability to better control their incisors.<ref name=Sharp2014/>