Sir, the cover photo depiction on the 10 November 2012 issue of the BDJ (issue 9) of an open-mouthed African penguin not only portrays the tooth-like barbs substituting for absent teeth, but clearly shows the cleft palate naturally occurring in birds and reptiles. The mammalian fused palate separating the oral and nasal cavities is an evolutionary advance enabling mastication, in contrast to gulping food in birds and reptiles. A cleft palate in humans represents a genetically atavistic malformation.

1. Canada