Most animals have teeth, but many of them are different than the teeth humans have. Across the animal kingdom, different kinds of teeth exist to support animals’ habits and methods of eating.

Let’s take a look at some of the most notable animals when it comes to teeth, including those with lots of teeth, those with no teeth, and even those with folding teeth!

Animal With the Most Teeth: Giant Armadillo

Snails are said to have the most teeth, having upwards of 25,000 teeth. However, they aren’t technically teeth—they’re part of a structure called a radula, which helps these animals scrape their food off a surface.

The animal next in line for the most teeth is the giant armadillo. The giant armadillo has up to 100 teeth, which all fit in its long jaws. However, unlike human teeth, armadillo teeth don’t have tooth enamel.

Animal With the Biggest Teeth: Elephant

An elephant’s tusks are actually its incisor teeth. These enormous teeth can grow to be over 10 feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds. In addition to these tusks, elephants also have a few molars in their mouths. Their molars are also huge and can weigh up to five pounds. Elephant molars also continuously grow throughout the animal’s life—after it wears down one set, the next set comes in!

Animal That Loses the Most Teeth: Sharks

Sharks go through a lot of teeth—they can grow and lose about 30,000 teeth in their lifetime [1]. A shark may lose teeth while attacking and biting another animal, and when their teeth are worn down or lost, they grow new replacement teeth. Must be nice!

Animals With the Least Teeth: It’s a Tie!

There are animals that don’t have any teeth at all. These include turtles, whales, anteaters, spiders, octopuses, and birds, to name a few. Some animals have serrated edges, such as geese and ducks in their beaks, which help them break up food.

Animals With Teeth That Never Stop Growing: Rodents

Then we have animals that have teeth that never stop growing. Rodents, which include mice, rabbits, squirrels, and rats, have what are called open-rooted teeth [2]. These are teeth that grow continuously throughout the animal’s lifetime.

The reason for this is because these animals are constantly chewing and biting on food that wears their teeth down over time. In fact, if these animals aren’t able to wear down their teeth, it can cause significant problems, including tooth abscesses and infections.

Animals With Folding Fangs: Snakes

Did you know some animals have folding teeth? That’s right, snakes have teeth that actually fold flat inside their mouths [3]. These folding teeth are the snake’s fangs which may contain venom, so in order for the teeth not to harm the snake, they fold away in the oral cavity.

Aren’t Teeth Fascinating?

Did you learn anything new from these fun facts about animal teeth? Animal teeth, like human teeth, have many interesting features besides their essential functions!

Sources:
1. https://www.livescience.com/65009-animal-with-most-teeth.html
2. https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/uploads/files/Community_and_Schools_PDFs/rodentfs.
pdf
3. https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-fangs-work