How many teeth do crocodiles have? Crocodile teeth – everything you need to know
We’re lucky sufficient to witness a variety of various species of predators in Londolozi. Whether or not above floor within the type of eagles and different birds of prey, on land within the type of lions, cheetahs, wild canine, or snakes, together with quite a lot of different species, and even submerged underwater – with crocodiles being the primary culprits. There isn’t a protected place for prey!
Alligators’ vertical pupils constrict or widen relying on the provision of sunshine, which is among the options that allow them to guide a principally nocturnal life.
Other than the attractive scales that isolate the crocodile’s physique, or their vertical pupils coated with overlapping clear membranes that permit for higher imaginative and prescient underwater, one of many crocodile’s most superb options needs to be their tooth. In spite of everything, the alligator’s tooth selection is among the most vital weapons in its arsenal.
One distinction in look between alligators and crocodilians is their decrease tooth and the truth that one is ready to see a number of alligator decrease tooth (the fourth being notably seen), whereas alligators don’t.
The species of crocodile seen in Londolozi is the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus). On common, the Nile crocodile has 64-68 sharply pointed tooth. That is roughly 12 lower than that of an alligator, and one of many few variations between these reptiles. Mixed with an extremely highly effective chunk drive of about 3,700 psi, one of many strongest chunk forces on the market, there’s little to no probability for any prey to have the ability to escape from the jaws of this predator.
This blog was partly inspired by a question I asked a few weeks ago;
“How many crocodile teeth?”
It seems as if they can live up to 75 years, those same 64-68 teeth definitely can’t last a lifetime?
Crocodiles have so-called multiple shark teeth, which means they can be replaced if they fall out or decay, in a similar way to how shark teeth are replaced. New teeth begin to form under the gums of a functional tooth and will push through the gums if the original tooth is destroyed or weakened. On average, it takes about 20 months to replace a full mouth of teeth, if you do the math, that means a 75-year-old alligator might have 45 sets of teeth!
That was a long answer… In short, there is no set number of sets of teeth that an alligator will have during its lifetime. The new teeth will only erupt when necessary, but this is a very effective method as the crocodile can make sure he always has a set of sharp teeth that are fully functional!
The last major point I will make about alligator teeth is how the mouth is aligned. Unlike mammalian carnivores, crocodiles’ teeth do not clash with each other. This meant that they were unable to slice the meat from the carcass, and instead performed what became known as the “death roll”. Contrary to popular belief, this act is not necessarily performed to kill their prey, but rather to tear pieces of flesh from it. The crocodile will force its teeth into the carcass and then vigorously rotate sideways until a piece of meat is released. Then he swallows this part of the meat without chewing it. If the carcass is small like the goose above, the crocodile will bang its head from side to side to break off a piece to swallow.
Crocodiles are indeed one of the most adorable and successful species on Earth, after all – not much has changed in the last 85 million years of their existence!
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