Then, you have your canine teeth, which are sharp. You have your molars in the back, which are dull and flat. Go to the nearest mirror and look at your teeth. In fact, I think you might know this one pretty well. Now, let’s take a look at an omnivorous mammal.
Thus, the word can come together to have a meaning of organisms who can gain nutritional value from all things, whether it’s meat or plant matter. ‘Vore’ indicates a group or biological community. This means that they need teeth somewhere in the middle of sharp for tearing and dull for grinding.īefore we start looking at omnivore fish and the anatomy of their teeth, let’s break this word down. They don’t only eat meat, but they also don’t only eat plants. Their stomach is only designed with the specific anatomy and physiology to digest meats, so, even though they can and will eat plants, they do not have the ability to digest it and derive beneficial nutrients from it.Įxamples of carnivorous fish include piranhas, sea basses, and tuna fish. They also use their teeth to eat animals with hard shells, such as crabs and snails.įlat, dull teeth would be useless against the shells of these animals, and that’s why having sharp teeth with a strong jaw are so important.Īll of this doesn’t mean that carnivorous fish can’t eat plant matter, however they just can’t digest it.Ĭarnivores have a shorter intestinal tract compared to herbivores and omnivores and a larger stomach that can hold something as large as an entire fish. That’s why carnivorous fish have a set – or possible even sets depending on dental location, which will be discussed further below – of razor sharp incisors that are designed for ripping and tearing meat into edible sizes. Now, eating these kinds of organisms would be pretty hard with human teeth – which are, for the most part, dull and flat. These others include a variety of other organisms such as plankton, shrimp, crabs, snails, insects, and even other species of fish. This just means that fish that fall into this category must eat other organisms in order to get the nutrients they need. ‘Hetero’ means other while ‘troph’ is derived from Greek to mean eater. Carnivorous fish are the same way.Ĭarnivorous fish are what is known as a heterotroph. That comes at no surprise, though, of course, when you take a good look at their diet. What do all these animals have in common when it comes to their teeth? They’re sharp. Think of the meat eating mammals in your life – cats, dogs, wolves, bears. To help you learn more, here is a complete guide to the different types and locations of different fish species’ teeth. It doesn’t come as a surprise that a fish that eats only meat will need different teeth than a fish that eats only plants, and that’s one of the coolest things about fish teeth. The shape of their teeth, as well as their location in the fish’s mouth, are dependent on many things, although, the number one factor is the fish’s diet. You see, like with all animals, there are many factors that come into play when it comes to a fish’s teeth. The only thing is, their teeth aren’t all the same. However, while it may come as a surprise, all fish, regardless of species or whether they live in freshwater or saltwater, have teeth. In fact, if you think of a fish with teeth, your first thought is probably of that of a piranha with their razor sharp teeth. Fish teeth are considered rare, confined to only a certain number of species. One thing that a lot of people don’t consider is the fact that fish have teeth. After that, though, you might not know what else makes fish special.
When you think of fish and their anatomy, there’s probably a few things that come to mind.įirst, you might think of their fins and scales, since those are often the most unique and eye-catching parts of fish.
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