Anatomy: Animals Inside

Digestion

How do the teeth (called dentition) of animals reflect their diet?

Depending on the animal’s main diet, it has specialized teeth to eat with. For example, herbivores have sharp incisors to bite off blades of grass and other plant matter, along with flat premolars and molars for grinding and crushing plants. Carnivores have pointed incisors and enlarged canine teeth to tear off pieces of meat; their premolars and molars are jagged to aid in chewing flesh. Omnivores have nonspecialized teeth to accommodate a diet of both plant material and animals.



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