Fun Animal Teeth Facts!

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We love talking about teeth around here. For something different, we are going to explore some fun facts about ANIMAL teeth. Animal teeth can come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and positions. A tooth is made up of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals.

Teeth are specific to an animals diet. A Herbivorous animal (like cows) have teeth made to cut and grind up leaves and grasses. Carnivorous animals (lions) have teeth for hunting  and tearing through meat. Humans are omnivorous and our teeth are easily able to eat a wide of foods.

Here are a few fun facts about animal teeth. I bet a few are surprising!

  • Frogs have teeth but toads do not.
  • A snail can have over 25,000 teeth!
  • Giraffes have 32 teeth (the same as humans) but they are all on the bottom jaw.
  • An elephant grinds its molars and then grows new ones. An elephant molar can weigh over 6 pounds.
  • Pigs have 44 teeth, cats have 30, dogs have 42 and armadillos have 104.
  • The Blue Whale is the largest mammal on earth, but eats only tiny shrimp because it has no teeth.
  • The Crocodile Birds is like a little dental hygienist ! It flies into the open mouth of a crocodile and cleans its teeth.
  • When a shark looses a tooth, a new one will grow in its place.
  • at 3 feet long the hippo has the largest canine tooth of any animal.
  • The unicorn-like horn on a narwhal is actually a tooth.
  • Zebras, beavers and rodents teeth never stop growing.
  • You can tell a dolphins age by the number of rings on its teeth – just like a tree.
  • When a rattlesnake closes its mouth, its teeth fold up like a pocketknife to protect its mouth.

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