TEETH... tell all. (teach)

Short presentation about teeth and what they tell us about their owners.

1. What do an
animals’ teeth
tell us about
its diet?
Moira Whitehouse PhD

2. This is a fish skull. Would this fish likely
have been a herbivore or carnivore?
Why?
1.

3. This is a skull of a barracuda. If you had
chosen carnivorous fish, you would be correct.
This is a reasonable choice because of the
sharp pointed teeth that the fish would use for
seizing its prey and tearing it apart.
1.

4. Would this be a skull of a herbivore or carnivore?
Look at the back teeth.
2.

5. This is a llama skull. It is an herbivore. You
can tell by the flat back molars used for
grinding up tough plants.
2.

6. What about this one—herbivore,
omnivore or carnivore? Why?
3.

7. This is a skull of a gila monster.
Carnivore. Why, sharp pointed teeth.

8. What about this one—herbivore, omnivore
or carnivore?

9. This is a leopard skull. You can tell it is a
carnivore by its long sharp canine teeth and
jagged molars used for grinding bones

10. What about this one—herbivore,
omnivore or carnivore?

11. This is the skull of a prairie dog. You can tell that is
the skull of a rodent that gnaws because of its long
Incisors and flat molars on the back for grinding
plant material. So it is a herbivore.

12. What about this one—herbivore,
omnivore or carnivore?

13. This is a skull of a white-tailed deer—a
herbivore. Notice the flat back molar teeth for
grinding up tough grass and leaves.

14. What about this one—herbivore,
omnivore or carnivore?

15. This is the skull of a black bear. Black bears
are omnivores. Notice the sharp canine
teeth and the flatter back molars.

16. What about this one—herbivore,
omnivore or carnivore?

17. This is a coyote skull. Coyotes are
carnivores. Notice the sharp canine teeth
and the rough jagged back molars.

18. What about this one—herbivore,
omnivore or carnivore?

19. This is the skull of a raccoon. Raccoons are
omnivores. Notice the sharp canine teeth
and the flatter back molars.

20. What about this one—herbivore,
omnivore or carnivore? Look at those
teeth. What kind of animal is this?

21. This is the skull of a snaked called an
anaconda. Notice the backward slanting teeth
that keep the victim from escaping while the
snake swallows it whole. Snakes are
carnivores.

22. This is the skull of a animal that became extinct about 15,000 years ago.
Do you think it was an herbivore, carnivore or omnivore and why?

23. This was the skull of an extinct cave lion. It
would have been a carnivore since like our
present-day lions, it had long canine teeth for
grabbing prey and ripping it apart and jagged
molars for crushing bones.