Teeth are vital for all living creatures! Thanks to a set of pearly, white enamels, humans aren’t the only ones enjoying the crunch of a tasty treat or the chewiness of a piece of meat. That said, there are some major differences that distinctly set human teeth apart from animal teeth.
Did you know, for example, that giraffes only have bottom teeth? It’s a good thing most of their diet is made up of soft, malleable leaves.
And have you ever thought about how heavy your teeth are, when put together? It’s not much since human teeth are weighed in grams. Elephants, on the other hand, have teeth that can top out at 6-7 pounds; those are some big molars.
Further, humans have approximately 32 teeth. What a contrast to the spinner dolphin, who boasts 252 teeth. (It’s a good thing they don’t have to pay for regular dental care, huh?)
Perhaps most surprisingly is discovering the fact that even mosquitoes have a mouth full of teeth—47 of them, to be exact.
And we are barely scratching the surface: there’s the shark, who can physically regrow teeth, snails with 20,000 miniscule teeth, rodents who have curved teeth, and birds, who have ridges rather than teeth, to help them grab food.
I guess we should be glad we only have 32 teeth to manage and dentists at the ready to provide the individualized care we need!