From the fanged water deer to the fantastic and unreal looking narwhal, these members of the animal kingdom have truly unique and noteworthy teeth. While humans may not have the impressive number or variety of teeth found in the animal kingdom, every person is unique – and your dental care should be too. Patient centered, caring dentistry is a must if you want to care for –and keep—your own unique set of chompers! http://village-dental.com/

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10 Animals with Teeth You Won’t Believe
village-dental.com/10-animals-teeth/
Michael G. Rasch DDS
By Michael G. Rasch DDS 17 Mar, 2015 Dentistry
From the fanged water deer to the fantastic and unreal looking narwhal, these members of the animal
kingdom have truly unique and noteworthy teeth. Most of these unusual features are designed to be
useful, either for defense, hunting prey or in simply to impress the ladies of the species.
Chinese Water Deer
This petite member of the deer family has
some serious fangs! He’s not from
Transylvania, though; you’ll only find this
unusual species in parts of Asia. The Chinese
water deer’s fangs are actually tusks, and take
the place of antlers on the male of the species.
Like most other male tusked animals, this tiny
deer uses his fangs to fight with foes during
mating season and to impress the ladies, too.
Pacu Fish
This fresh water fish, cousin to the cow-
devouring piranha can be found in bodies of
water around the world, including the US. The
unusual denture eerily mimics human teeth –
and packs a powerful bite. These fish are considered good for aquariums because they are primarily

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vegetarian and won’t eat the other, smaller fish
in a tank. Their powerful jaw is designed to
crack nuts and chew through ropey vegetation
can also be harmful to human fingers, so
handle these oversized fish with care.
Ghost Shark
As if being an apex predator with multiple rows of teeth and prey-finding sonar wasn’t enough, the
ghost shark also has an amazing tooth and jaw setup. While the jaw is normally held close to the head,
it can extend quickly to snag prey; this protruding jaw can be seen in action in rare video footage of a
ghost shark pursuing prey.
This shy, deep water fish has been called a living fossil, thanks to its oddly primitive body and jaw.
Narwhal
This unusual ocean mammal looks like a whale crossed with a unicorn – and despite its mythical looks,
it is a real animal. The narwhal is a small, toothed whale related to the beluga whale; about 50,000
narwhals swim in the cold waters of the arctic region. The elongated horn isn’t a horn at all; it’s actually
an oversized (very oversized) incisor. Occasionally, narwhals can have two oversized horns, but most
feature a single, long tooth protruding from the front of the head like a unicorn’s horn.
Goosander Duck
This European waterfowl looks like a regular duck – until you take a closer look at his bill! Each

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NICKLIN/MINDEN PICTURES/CORBIS
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Goosander Duck has a row of small, sharp saw like teeth along the edges of its bill; these teeth are
used to efficiently trap and kill small fish. As a
predator, the serrated jaw gives this duck a
distinct advantage over its smooth beaked
counterparts and thrives in lakes and rivers in
the UK and northern Europe.
Dragonfish
This deep sea dweller lives in darkness – so
its survival depends on bioluminescence and
an amazing set of teeth. The prehistoric
looking Dragonfish can produce a bobbing bit
of dazzling light to tempt passing fish; once a
fish wanders into his territory, the dragon fish’s
impressive teeth make quick work of his prey.
Notable not only for their sheer size and
fanglike shape, the Dragonfish can actually
grow teeth on its tongue, so once prey is
caught, it has no chance of escaping the jaw of
this modem day monster.
Snails
These slimy mollusks have radulae in place of
teeth – small, ribbon shaped organs aligned
on the tongue and used to grind and crush
food. Like everything the snail does, the
chewing process is slow, and the teeth down
so much as chew food as grind it into powered
overtime. Radula won’t fall out, but can wear
down over time and be replaced by newer
versions.
Dolphins
These popular sea-dwelling mammals use their
cone shaped teeth to rip apart prey, which they
then swallow whole. While individuals may
vary, most adults have an average of 250
teeth; these unusual cone shaped teeth are
sharp and can be used for defense as well as
predation. While the dolphin’s teeth have a
distinctly unusual shape, they also thicken with
age as more enamel is added each passing
year. You can tell the age of a tree by counting the rings on a cross section; scientists can tell the age
of a dolphin the same way simply by examining the teeth.
Elephants
Humans lose their initial baby teeth as they grow – the second set, considered the adult teeth are the
permanent teeth. Elephants differ from humans in more ways than one – including the teeth; elephants
constantly lose and replace teeth throughout their long lives. Flat and designed for chewing the
massive amounts of vegetation an elephant consumes each day; these giant teeth are inside the

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mouth. The elephant’s massive incisors are seen as tusks on the outside of the body and used for
defense, fighting and impressing other
elephants.
While humans may not have the impressive
number or variety of teeth found in the animal
kingdom, every person is unique – and your
dental care should be too. Patient centered,
caring dentistry is a must if you want to care
for –and keep—your own unique set of
chompers!