Animal Teeth - Info Texts

7/28/2019 Animal Teeth - Info Texts

1/10

Animal teeth

Animals' teeth are different

depending upon what foods they

eat.

Meat-eaters (carnivores) have

sharp teeth.

Plant-eaters (herbivores) have flat

teeth.

Animals that eat both plants and

meat, like humans, have sharp

teeth in front and flat teeth at the

back.


2/10

1. What does an anteater eat? ants, termites and

soft fruit

2. What does a grizzly bear eat? Fruit, berries,nuts, insects, honey, fish, lizards and rodents

3. What does a bobcat eat? Rabbits, rodents,

sheep, deer and birds

4. What does a chimpanzee eat? Nuts, berries,

fruit, insects and small mammals

5. What does a deer eat? Leaves, fruit, vines andgrasses

6. What does an otter eat? Fish, frogs, small

mammals and insects

7. What does a giraffe eat? Leaves, shrubs, vines

and herbs

8. What does a maned wolf eat? Small mammals,

reptiles, birds, and some fruit


3/10

Sharks lose teeth each week. They

get new teeth when they lose the

old ones. They may have over

20,000 teeth in a lifetime.

Crocodiles have 60 teeth in their

mouth at any one time and can

grow up to 2-3,000 teeth during

their lifetime.Poisonous snakes have hollow

fangs which eject poison.

Giraffes have 32 teeth, just likehumans.


4/10

Elephants have four sets of teeth in

their lifetime. Their tusks are the

longest teeth in the world.

Dolphins have more teeth than any

other animal. Some dolphins have

over 200 teeth. Scientists can tellthe age of a dolphin by the rings on

their teeth.

Snowshoe rabbits fight with theirteeth. Adult males, called bucks,

fight one another with their teeth

when they court the females or

does.

Baleen whales don't have teeth.

Instead they have stiff, fringed

plates, made of the same stuff as


5/10

human hair and fingernails. They

hang down from the upper jaw and

trap small fish and other food.

Teeth in animals vary greatly. Some animals, such asturtlesandtortoises, are

toothless. Other animals, such assharks, may go through many teeth in their

lifetime. The multiple replacement of teeth is known as polyphedont. Since the

appearance of teeth reflects their function, the animal's diet may correspond to

types of teeth. For example,carnassialsare teeth incarnivoresused for slicing

food.Elephants' tusks are specialized incisors for digging food up and fighting.

Types of Animal Teeth

Animal teeth have evolved and developed through the centuries in response to

the particular eating and chewing needs of the individual species. Some teeth

are highly developed in different animals for specific purposes. Meat-eating or

fish-eating animals such as the tiger and seal have well-formed canines, that is,

pointed teeth, also known as dogteeth and eyeteeth, for holding and tearing

food. Horses and cattle, which are herbivores, have well-formed incisors for

cutting grassy or pulpy foods, and broad, flat molars for grinding. Animals suchas dogs and cats, which crush and tear their food, have many well-developed

canines and sharp, narrow molars. Animals such as elephants, which grind their

food, have large molars with many flat cusps.

A few mammals and most fish and reptiles have open-rooted teeth that grow

continuously to replace teeth eroded by use. Rodents generally have some

open-rooted anterior teeth, as do tusked animals such as elephants and

walruses. The beaver constantly uses its incisors to cut materials for building,and the incisors may grow at a rate of as much as 1.2 m (4 ft) in one year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoisehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoisehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoisehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnassialhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnassialhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnassialhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnivorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnivorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnivorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephanthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnivorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnassialhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoisehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle


6/10

Many fish and reptiles have several forms of teeth, commonly of the sharp,

cutting variety, used for grasping their prey. Several kinds of reptiles and fish

may have teeth growing on the tongue, the palate, or as a second set in the

throat. The teeth of crocodiles and alligators are firmly implanted in the jaw,

much like human teeth. Turtles do not have teeth but only hard, sharp-edged

bony plates on both jaws. Some toothless amphibians, such as frogs, maydevelop an egg tooth, which is used by the young animal to break through the

egg. These teeth are shed shortly after birth and never reappear. Poisonous

reptiles, such as rattlesnakes, have well-formed incisor teeth, or fangs, which

they use to inject poison into their prey. Vampire bats have similarly well-

developed incisors.

Types of Animal Teeth

Incisors - are mainly concerned with getting food Canines - are mainly concerned with getting food and as weapons. Well

developed canines are called "fangs" - eg big cats, or "tusks" eg walrus,

hippos, elephant.

Premolars and molars are used for chewing and grinding food(mastication)

Ruminants (cattle, sheep goats) have evolved without canine teeth becausethey eat plant material, they do not have to catch prey and they are placid

herding creatures.

Dogs and cats on the other hand have well developed canines reflecting their

natural food in the wild - live prey.

The shape and size of teeth varies between species . Cats and dogs have one

very large cheek tooth - called the "carnasial" tooth - and they use this to gnaw

at bones to remove the muscle and other soft tissues, whereas in horses and

ruminants the crowns of the cheek teeth are all much the same in shape and

size as they are used to grind plant material.

In many species ( but not man, dogs or cats) the teeth can continue to grow for

a considerable period of the animal's lifetime. This is especially true of rodents

(mice, rats), cavies (guinea pigs) and lagomorphs (rabbits) in which they can

continue to grow throughout life. In these species the two large incisors at thefront of the mouth rely on contact with teeth on the opposite jaw to wear them

down and keep them the correct length. If for some reason the teeth do not


7/10

meet properly they will become very long, and grow in a curve - eventually

stopping the animal from eating.

9. What does an eagle eat? Fish, small mammals and waterfowl

ReptilesThe teeth of reptiles are replaced constantly during their life. Juvenile

crocodilians replace teeth with larger ones at a rate as high as 1 new tooth per

socket every month. Once adult, tooth replacement rates can slow to two years

and even longer. Over all, crocodilians may use 3,000 teeth from birth to death.

New teeth are created within old teeth.

Whales

Toothed whales is asuborderof thecetaceanscharacterized by havingteeth.The teeth differ considerably between the species. They may be numerous, with

somedolphinsbearing over 100 teeth in their jaws. On the other hand, the

narwhalshave a giant unicorn-like tusk, which is a tooth containing millions of

sensory pathways and used for sensing during feeding, navigation and mating. It

is the most neurologically complex tooth known.Beaked whalesare almost

toothless, with only bizarre teeth found in males. These teeth may be used for

feeding but also for demonstrating aggression and showmanship.

Rabbit

Rabbitsand otherLagomorphsusually shed their deciduous teeth before (or

very shortly after) their birth, and are usually born with their permanent teeth.[3]

The teeth of rabbits complement their diet, which consist of a wide range of

vegetation. Since many of the foods are abrasive enough to cause attrition,

rabbit teeth grow continuously throughout life.[4]

Rabbits have a total of 6

incisors, three upper premolars, three upper molars, two lower premolars, andtwo lower molars on each side. There are no canines. Three to four millimeters

of tooth is worn away by incisors every week, whereas the posterior teeth

require a month to wear away the same amount.[5]

Rodent

Rodents' incisors grow continuously throughout their lives, a process known as

aradicular. Unlike humans whose ameloblasts die after tooth development,

rodents continually produce enamel and must wear down their teeth bygnawing on various materials.

[6]These teeth are used for cutting wood, biting

through the skin of fruit, or for defense. The teeth have enamel on the outside

and exposed dentin on the inside, so they self-sharpen during gnawing. On the
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suborderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suborderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suborderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetaceanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetaceanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetaceanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teethhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teethhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teethhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narwhalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narwhalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaked_whaleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaked_whaleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaked_whaleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagomorphhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagomorphhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagomorphhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagomorphhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaked_whaleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narwhalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teethhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cetaceanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suborder


8/10

other hand, continually growing molars are found in some rodent species, such

as thesibling voleand theguinea pig.[7]

[8]

There is variation in the dentition of

the rodents, but generally, rodents lack canines and premolars, and have a

space between their incisors and molars, called the diastema region.

Horse

Horse teethcan be used to estimate the animal's age. At five years of age a

horse has between 36 and 44 teeth. By age five, all permanent teeth have

usually erupted. The horse is then said to have a "full" mouth. All horses have

twelve premolars, twelve molars, and twelve incisors. After eight years, the age

of a horse can only be conjectured. Dishonest dealers sometimes "bishop" the

teeth of old horses, that is scoop them out, to imitate the mark: but this can be

known by the absence of the white edge of enamel which always surrounds the

real mark, by the shape of the teeth, and other marks of age about the animal.

The wear of teeth may also be affected by diet, natural abnormalities, and

cribbing.

Somehorseshave a form of premolars calledwolf teeth. Wolf teeth are small

peg-like teeth in horses and otherequidae, and they do not have any

precursors. They may be knocked out by the bit if particularly loose and can

certainly be extracted accidentally, either partially or whole, when routineequine dentistry is performed. In size they are extremely variable from being

only 3 mm in diameter to having roots up to 2 cm long. In a small number of

cases they may be "molarized" with a distinct irregular rim of enamel. It is

impossible to gauge the size of the root from an examination of the crown

except to say that if the crown is mobile it is very unlikely that there is a large

intact root.

Also, a horse may have 4 or 5 canine teeth between the molars and incisors.Generally all male horses have four canines. However, few female horses have

canines. A horse's incisors, premolars, and molars continuously grow

throughout the animal's life, to provide new material as the grinding surface is

worn down from eating. A young adult will have teeth which are 4.5-5 inches

long. The enamel and dentin layers are intertwined with each other.[9]

Problems

that can develop in horse teeth include hooks, step mouth, wave mouth, and

shear mouth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sibling_vole&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sibling_vole&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sibling_vole&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_pighttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_pighttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_teethhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_teethhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cribbing_%28horse%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cribbing_%28horse%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_toothhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_toothhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_toothhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equidaehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equidaehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equidaehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equidaehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_toothhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cribbing_%28horse%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_teethhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_%28animal%29#cite_note-6http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_pighttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sibling_vole&action=edit&redlink=1


9/10

there are three main types of teeth in humans

the teeth at the front are called incisors they

are used for biting and cutting food the teeth

next to the incisors are called canines these

teeth are for gripping and tearing food molars

are found at the back of the mouth they are for

crushing and grinding food

there are three main types of teeth in humans the

teeth at the front are called incisors they are used forbiting and cutting food the teeth next to the incisors

are called canines these teeth are for gripping and

tearing food molars are found at the back of the mouth

they are for crushing and grinding food carnivores havebig long canines which are sharp and pointed to help

them kill and eat other animals herbivores dont have

canines because they only eat plants instead they have

sharp flat incisors which are really good for biting andchopping grass and leaves


10/10

Animal Teeth - Info Texts

Documents

Transcript of Animal Teeth - Info Texts