One way to tell the difference
between alligators and crocodiles is by their
teeth. On crocodiles, the fourth tooth on each side
of the lower jaw projects outside the snout when the
mouth is closed. Alligator teeth are conical shaped
and made for grabbing and holding prey. Alligators
don't chew their food, but swallow it whole. If an
alligator loses a tooth, it grows back.
The Great Barracuda, also called the "wolf of the sea," can
grow more than six feet long. Although barracuda rarely attack swimmers and divers,
they can be dangerous if brought on board a fishing boat. The barracuda's huge,
powerful teeth can seriously damage the deck - and anyone who happens to get
near it.
All bats have spiky teeth. There really is a vampire bat, which lives
in Central and South America, and it does drink blood. Its victim is usually
a sleeping animal, which the bat nips on the ankle or toe with its razor-sharp
teeth. Victims rarely notice that anything happened - and they don't turn into
vampires.
Komodo dragons are large, fierce reptiles
that live in Indonesia. They have large serrated
teeth, and will eat almost anything. They aren't
venomous, but their mouths are loaded with bacteria,
which can cause fatal infections in their victims.
The Sheepshead is a type of sport fish that lives in the Atlantic Ocean
and Gulf of Mexico. Its large teeth (which are used for crushing and grinding)
look oddly like a human's teeth.
All snakes have teeth, but not for chewing. Snake teeth are sharp and
slanted backward, which keeps prey from escaping. Certain poisonous snakes, called
pit vipers, have fangs. The fangs have a canal that runs through them, with an
opening near the tip. Muscles enveloping the snake's poison gland force the poison
through the canal and out the tip. North American pit vipers have two rows of
teeth on the top and bottom; nonpoisonous snakes have four rows on top and four
on the bottom.
Spiders don't have teeth, but do have fangs.
They quickly kill their prey (usually insects) with
fangs and poison. Each fang is connected to a venom
gland. The venom immobilizes prey and starts digestion.
Modern turtles do not have teeth, but fossils of prehistoric turtles do
have teeth. Some turtles, such as the alligator snapping turtle, have sharp beaks
and strong jaws. Baby turtles, called hatchlings, appear to have a tooth when
they first hatch. Called the "egg-tooth," it is located at the front
of the upper jaw. It usually disappears a few months after hatching. The egg
tooth is really a modified scale and not a real tooth. |
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