MUNCHING MOL ARS AND FEROCIOUS FANGS
Peer inside the mouths of animals to discover how they use their teeth to eat, hunt and fight
WORDS SCOTT DUTFIELD
Camels lose their baby teeth by around seven years old
Hippopotamuses have 36 teeth to crush and grind up food
AI generated jungle background: Adobe Photoshop & Adobe Stock
Whether they’re chewing on grass, tearing through flesh or fighting off a foe, teeth are an essential survival tool for the world’s animals. A tooth is a layered structure made from hardened calcium carbonate that erupts from a vertebrate’s jaw and is used to puncture, cut and grind food. For many animals, such as primates, teeth emerge after birth; others, such as rabbits, are born sporting permanent gnashers.