1. Sharks lose A LOT of teeth! Shark teeth are positioned in rows and as the rows move forward, new teeth push older ones out, usually losing at least one tooth per week! If this were the case for human teeth then humans would be toothless in 32 weeks!
2. Elephant tusks are a set of teeth that never stop growing. Often thought to be their canine teeth, but they are actually really long incisors!
3. Giraffes share the same number of teeth as we humans do, 32 teeth; however, they do not have any upper front teeth and most of their teeth are molars in the back of their mouths. Can you imagine if humans shared the same characteristic?
4. Although frogs swallow their food whole, they do in fact have teeth! However, toads remain edentulous.
5. Like our beloved elephant friends, rabbits, squirrels and rodents also have teeth that never stop growing. Chewing tough foods such as nuts, leaves and bark helps wear down their teeth to prevent them from growing too long.
6. Minnesota’s favorite (not), the mosquito actually has 47 teeth! You aren’t able to see them without magnification, or maybe we just swat them too quick before we get a chance to look.
7. A lot of herbivorous animals such as cows and sheep don’t have incisors. Incisors are used as “cutting teeth,” so instead they use their lips to cut their food and then process it normally.
8. A horse’s teeth take up more space in its head than its brain!
9. Snails have over 25,000 microscopic teeth..on their tongues!
10. You can determine the age of a dolphin by counting the rings inside their teeth. Sound familiar? Discovering a tree’s age is done the same way with their trunks.
– from Erica S. (Dental Assistant)
Sources:
https://mismile.co.uk/animal-teeth-facts/
http://www.eleaid.com/elephant-information/elephant-tusks
http://www.sharksavers.org/en/education/biology/shark-teeth1/
https://www.frog-life-cycle.com/do-frogs-have-teeth.html
http://www.scienceterrific.com/frogs.php
http://science.jrank.org/pages/5920/Rodents.html
http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/pregastric/cowpage.html
https://www.ltsmiles.com/a-quick-look-at-the-animals-with-the-most-teeth/
https://www.countryandstable.co.uk/blog/horse-teeth-facts/