Which animal has teeth longer than half the body. Animal teeth

Sea unicorn

Which animals have the longest teeth? This is what the statistics say. In the first place is the narwhal (Monodon monoceros), or as it is more often called, the "sea unicorn". It lives in the northern latitudes (the water area of ​​the Arctic Ocean, Atlantic). Its tusk-tooth is usually 2-3 meters long and weighs about ten kilograms. Moreover, in males only the left tooth is developed into such a tusk, while in females both. But the narwhal cannot bite with such a tooth - it is inconvenient. It serves rather for decoration.

Inidian or African elephant

In second place in terms of the length of the teeth are the more famous animals. it Indian (Elephas) ​​and African (Loxodonta) elephants... Their tusks are not directed downward, but forward and upward. In elephants, two front teeth have developed into tusks. The average length of an adult elephant's tusks is two and a half meters and a weight of ten kilograms. And the tusks of especially large individuals can reach ninety kilograms. Elephants use them during mating season, to intimidate competitors, as well as for protection.

Ocean walrus

The third longest teeth are walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) living in the Arctic and Pacific oceans. Their canines are 60 - 80 cm long. The walrus needs them to get food on the seabed: he digs them up mollusks from the ground. They are also needed to protect against enemies. Sometimes a walrus can wound a gaping seal to death, and with the help of tusks, he climbs onto land.

Many scientists are inclined to believe that tusks are more needed for decoration. The position of the animal in the "walrus society" is determined by the size of the canines. During the mating season, males intimidate their competitors with them. Walrus tusks, like elephant tusks, are very expensive and exclusive material.

Forest boar

In general, there are not very many animals in nature with greatly enlarged front teeth. Of ungulates, they are decorated with large fangs wild boars (Sus scrofa)... Small graceful fangs are also present in male musk deer (Moschus moschiferus)- a small deer.

There are many champions among the animals of our planet. Here are the biggest and the smallest, the most dangerous and harmless, eared, tongue-tied and the most-most-toothed.

10th place... Dwarf armadillo

A small mammal from Central and North America not only has an amazing appearance, but also an interesting feature associated with its teeth. In the armadillo, the teeth grow constantly, they are small in size, cylindrical in shape and completely devoid of enamel. The number of teeth in individuals of one species varies in a wide range from 20 to 100.

9th place. Opossum

The small marsupial mammal is known for its ability to pretend to be dead when it senses danger. Opossum teeth are well developed, there are only 50 of them.

8th place. Marsupial anteater

The marsupial anteater or nambat has 50-52 weak asymmetrical teeth, they help the animal pierce the shell of insects, which are the basis of its diet.

7th place. Sperm whale

The long and narrow lower jaw of the sperm whale has 20-26 pairs of fairly large conical teeth. When the mouth is closed, each of them enters a special notch in the upper jaw, where there are only 1-3 pairs of teeth or may not be at all.

6th place. Alligator

There are about 80 very sharp teeth in the mouth of the terrible predator. When the old ones wear out, new ones grow in their place.

5th place. Common dolphin

Among all representatives of toothed whales, the common dolphin is the leader in the number of teeth, in total there are 100-105 pairs.

4th place. Indian leech

The Indian leech is the most toothy among all the annelids, it has as many as three jaws and each of them has 70-100 teeth, so their total number can reach 300.

3rd place. Gray shark

In the mouth of this rare and dangerous predator, 2-3 thousand teeth are located in several rows. The first 1-2 rows are considered active, the rest are spare. Teeth grow throughout life, new ones grow in place of those that have fallen out or worn out.

2nd place. Gastropod snails

These little sluggish creatures are some of the most toothy animals on the planet. On their tongue there are about 14 thousand teeth, which are lined up in 135 rows.

1st place. Large roadside slug

All records for the number of teeth were broken by a large roadside slug. There are about 30 thousand teeth on the baby's tongue, which help him gnaw fruits, berries and leaves.

There are so many animals on the planet Earth. And toothy, and eared, and tongued animals - in one word, the animal world of the planet is very diverse. By the number and shape of teeth, you can characterize the animal and understand what it eats.

In fact, animals need teeth not only to chew food, but also to scare away predators. Some animals use their teeth in everyday life, for example, for sawing, digging and navigating difficult routes. Today's article will tell you about the most toothy animals on the planet.

photo: Robert

The ten most toothy creatures are opened by a dwarf armadillo. This mammal lives in North and Central America. Animals have been living on planet Earth for a very long time, and they appeared back in the days of the dinosaurs. In addition, animals are also famous for their teeth. Inside one species alone, there can be from 28 to 40 teeth, and if the armadillo is gigantic, then the number of teeth can reach 100.

This feature is characteristic only of battleships. Interestingly, teeth differ not only within a certain species, but also in different individuals. The teeth of the dwarf armadillo grow constantly, but by themselves they are small in size, they do not have caries and enamel, and the shape of all teeth is the same - cylindrical.

photo: Bob Zeller

This small animal appeared on the planet only at the very end of the Cretaceous period and has not changed much since then. The common possum is a small marsupial mammal with an archaic dental formula, which speaks of the primitiveness of these animals.

Possums have 5 incisors on the upper jaw, and 4 incisors on the lower jaw. The canines and molars of opossums are very well developed. The total number of teeth in common possums is 50.

photo: Steve Parish

This anteater is also called nambat. Outwardly, the animal is very similar to an ordinary squirrel, but it belongs to the family of marsupial anteaters. Nambit has weak, asymmetrical and small teeth, the total number of which is 50-52 teeth. These teeth help the anteater to pierce only the shells of some insects, which are its main food.

photo: Dave Lobby

This large mammal lives in the waters and is the only member of its family. The sperm whale has 60 teeth, of which 20-26 pairs are located on the lower jaw. When the mouth is closed, each tooth is inserted into a special notch located in the upper jaw.

In one of the British museums, you can see a huge jaw, the length of which reaches 5 meters, and its owner was a 27-meter sperm whale. Today it is no longer possible to meet such giant sperm whales, since in the process of evolution they have become much smaller. To calculate the age of the sperm whale, you need to count the number of layers in the dentin of the sperm whale's tooth.

photo: somenametoforget

Undoubtedly, this is the most toothy reptile that exists today. In the mouth of this terrible predator there are about 80 incredibly sharp teeth. As soon as old teeth start to wear out, new ones appear in their place. It is interesting that it is by the teeth that you can distinguish an alligator from a crocodile. If the mouth of an alligator is closed, its teeth are not visible, while in a crocodile, even with a closed mouth, the fangs located on the lower jaw are clearly visible.

photo: RickardSjöden

Despite the fact that this dolphin is quite peaceful, it has a huge number of teeth - 200-210, which makes it the record holder among all toothed whales. If we compare the common dolphin and the bottlenose dolphin, then the second has only 100 teeth.

4 Indian leech

This leech is considered the most toothy among all representatives of the species of annelids to which it belongs. The Indian leech has as many as three jaws, each of which has 70 to 100 teeth. Thus, the total number of teeth in the leech is 350.

photo: Tony Brown

This type of shark is very rare, and so far scientists have not met a single old individual. This dangerous predator has 2 to 3 thousand very sharp teeth in its mouth. All teeth are located in several rows, however, only the first two rows of teeth are active, the rest are considered spare. Throughout their life, these sharks grow teeth, so new ones “come” to replace lost teeth or those that have already been worn out. Interestingly, the gray shark can even feed on crustaceans and bony fish, as its teeth are covered with special enamel.

2. Snails from the class of gastropods

photo: martin

These small and sluggish creatures rank second among the most toothy animals. On the tongue of the snails, there are 135 rows, each of which has 100-105 teeth. Thus, the total number of teeth is equal to 14 thousand. Though small, but what a toothy monster.

1. Large roadside slug

photo: Karl-Ludwig G. Poggemann

And here is the record holder for the number of teeth. The slug lives only on land, and its food does not include flesh. There are about 30 thousand teeth on the tongue of this baby. Gastropods need teeth to eat berries, fruits and leaves, in which the slug makes huge holes.

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25. Giraffe Weevil

At first glance, it is easy to understand why this endemic species of Madagascar received such a name. Males of this species have elongated necks, which are sometimes several times larger than their bodies. These insects usually use their 2.5-centimeter necks when building nests and fighting competitors.

24. Chameleon


The ability to change color and roll their eyes independently of each other already makes these animals special. However, they have another bizarre anatomical feature - an incredibly long tongue. Some boast tongues up to 70 centimeters long, which is about twice their body size.

23. Crab Fiddler


If there is any animal known for its disproportionate body, it is the fiddler crab. There are about a hundred different subspecies of this small crab in the world, and they all have one characteristic feature - sexual dimorphism of the claws. In females of this species, both claws are the same size, while in males the main claw is much larger than the second. The large claw is most often used by males during fights with rivals.

22. Goblin Shark


The goblin shark is a rather strange deep-sea creature. Their mouths give a special charm to these underwater inhabitants. Their jaws have evolved in such a way that they are able to push forward, capturing prey. Some individuals have such flexible jaws that they are able to extend to the very edge of their muzzles.

21. Sword-beak hummingbird


Native to South America, the sword-billed hummingbird is usually found at high altitudes (most often in areas located 2500 meters above sea level and above). The beak of these birds can reach a length of 10 centimeters, which sometimes even exceeds the length of the bird's body. As for the tongue, it is even more, thereby allowing the bird to feed on almost any flowers that come its way.

20. Hippopotamus


Even if you ignore the weight of the hippo and its robust build, you can find something else in it that will allow this animal to get on our list - its teeth. The lower canines and incisors of the hippopotamus reach enormous sizes, especially in males. In addition, their teeth are constantly growing, the average size of the hippo's incisors is 40 centimeters in length, and its canines are 50 centimeters.

19. Tarsier


Inhabiting the islands of Southeast Asia, tarsiers are a genus of small primates. And although the animals themselves are really small, this cannot be said about their eyes. Each tarsier eyeball is about 16 millimeters in diameter, which is much larger than their brain. In addition, tarsiers have the largest eyes in the animal world in terms of body length.

18. Antarctic giant squid


And although tarsiers have the largest eyes in relation to body size, they are far from giant squids, whose eyes are considered the largest in the entire animal kingdom. This giant clam reaches a length of 14 meters, and the eyes of the largest individual ever caught, reached 27 centimeters in diameter. Of all the creatures that have ever lived on Earth, only the extinct ichthyosaurs had larger eyes than these.

17. Blue whale


The blue whale is the largest and heaviest of all living animals, so it is not surprising that many organs and body parts of this animal are considered the largest in the entire animal kingdom. The tongue of the blue whale, which can reach a weight of 3 tons, stands out especially against this background.

16. Astrapia

Astrapia is one of the representatives of birds of paradise - endemic to Papua New Guinea. This bird is medium in size, reaching a length of 32 centimeters, but if you include the length of its tail in the total length, then many males of this species reach 1 meter in length. Thus, the length of their bizarre tails is three times the length of their body. Male astrapia have the longest tail feathers in relation to the total body size among birds.

15. Musk deer


The musk deer, also known as the musk deer or saber-toothed deer, is an animal armed with the strangest teeth imaginable. What makes these teeth odd is not their shape and size, but the fact that they belong to a deer. This Asian forest dweller uses this decoration mainly in the mating season to resolve conflict situations.

14. Narwhal


When it comes to bizarre fangs and teeth, no one beats the narwhal in this matter. This medium-sized whale is famous for being the proud owner of a long and sharp "horn". But in fact, this is not a horn or a tusk at all, as many believe, this is a huge sprouted canine. The canine tooth can reach up to 3 meters in length and is usually used when fighting for territory or to break through the ice crust.

13. Xanthopan morganii

To the question: "Which animal has the longest nose?" you would most likely answer that it is an elephant, but that would only be partly true. When it comes to the length of the nose relative to the body, that is, a creature that can easily compete with an elephant. It is none other than the moth Xanthopan morganii (a rather large hawk moth from East Africa). Its proboscis is 28 centimeters long, which is about three times the length of the moth itself.

12. Nipple


When it comes to noses, do not discount the nose monkey, a species endemic to the island of Borneo. It is a long-nosed, reddish-brown tree monkey that lives in the jungle of Borneo, paired with orangutans. The noses of males of this species reach especially large sizes, but even the noses of females are rather large for primates.

11. Rhinopithecus


While some monkeys have been rewarded by nature with huge noses, some of their relatives have no noses at all. Native to Asia, rhinopithecus are a species of arboreal monkey that can be easily distinguished from other primates by their distinctive opening instead of a nose. This rare monkey lives in mountain forests at an altitude of more than 4000 meters and is still almost unexplored.

10. Pelican fish


Many animals have large mouths, but this species can easily surpass them all in mouth-to-body ratio. Also known as bigmouth, the pelican is a deep-sea ray-finned fish that features an incredibly large mouth.

9. Purple frog


Most frogs are quite agile and agile creatures, but there is one species among them, whose proportions resemble more of a hippopotamus than a frog. Found in India, it has a wide, swollen and rounded body, short chubby legs, a small head, and an unusual pointed stigma. Add a strange purple color to this scripture and you get an accurate description of this animal.

8. Magnificent frigate


Reaching 89-114 centimeters in length, the magnificent frigate is the largest frigate of all. Males of this species possess a bright red throat sac, which serves them to attract females.

7. Japanese spider crab


With a body length of about 40 centimeters, the Japanese spider crab has the longest legs of any arthropod. The span of his first pair of legs is often 3.8 meters.

6. Hercules beetle


In addition to its incredible strength (this beetle can lift 850 times its own weight), the Hercules beetle has a giant horn, which often grows even longer than its own body.

5. Pelochelys cantorii


This species of three-clawed turtles is native to Southeast Asia. Its ease can be distinguished from other turtles by its smooth and even shell. These turtles are capable of reaching almost 2 meters in length. Usually their diet consists of crustaceans, molluscs and fish.

4. Lineus longissimus


This type of worm is known as the longest inhabitant of the planet among all the species that have ever lived on it. This incredibly thin worm can reach 55 meters in length, even longer than the mane of a lion jellyfish (generally considered the longest creature on the planet).

3. Macrotermes bellicosus


Macrotermes bellicosus are the largest termites known to science. The queens are capable of reaching a length of 11 centimeters, and workers and soldiers - about 3.6 centimeters. But when it comes to proportions, the head of soldier termites defies comparison. Its dimensions are often almost half of the entire body of a soldier.

2. Slender salamander


While our list is dominated by animals that are famous for their large body parts, the slender salamander goes to the opposite extreme. This North American amphibian can be easily recognized by its extremely short and small legs.

1. Frog beetle


Speaking of the legs, one should also mention the beetle, which has huge and powerful legs in comparison with its body. Found in the jungles of Southeast Asia, this tropical leaf beetle boasts huge hind legs, which it usually uses when fighting other males.

The sharpest teeth belonged to the Condont, a prehistoric species of eels that lived on our planet 200 million years ago. Their teeth were thinner than a human hair - so thin that we would not have been able to see them without special devices.

condotu eel teeth with 50x magnification

20 cm teeth... Who do you think could have had such huge teeth? Of course, the most formidable and largest predator of all time is the shark. megalodon... No one could compete with a prehistoric predator, the megalodon could tear anyone to pieces. Fortunately for marine life, they became extinct hundreds of thousands of years ago due to climate change.

largest megalodon tooth found

The most toothy creature on our planet has only one leg. Guess who it is? Of course it is snail! Who would have thought that such a harmless creature has up to 25 thousand teeth... But she cannot chew with them - tiny teeth grow on peculiar ribbons, with which the snail grinds food.

This is how snail teeth look in a microscope

Poisonous teeth... Snakes have hollow teeth, which allows them to store venom inside. Channels from venom glands lead to the snake's teeth, and at the moment of attack they deliver a dose of poison. Only the upper teeth are equipped with poisonous channels, the lower ones serve only to capture the victim. The owner of the longest teeth is Gaboon viper... Its canines exceed 5 cm in length, which is quite enough to inject poison into the deep tissues of any animal, even the largest. Fortunately, the Gabonese snake has a very calm character and surprisingly not aggressive behavior, they say it can even be lifted by the tail :)

The strangest teeth. Fish Paku looks unremarkable: "gray" appearance, medium size ... but as soon as you look into its mouth, the whole unusualness of this fish becomes more than obvious. Almost human teeth grow in Paku's mouth, and in 3 rows. By the way, pacu is a fish from the piranha family, however, unlike her well-known bloodthirsty relatives, our heroine is more peaceful. But why should she then have such a powerful jaw? The answer lies in the Paku's culinary preferences: they are very fond of snails and several types of nuts that you cannot easily bite.

Strongest teeth. Their owner is a completely nondescript animal leading an underground image - bald mole rat... With his teeth, an excavator can literally demolish walls, even a solid concrete wall is within his shoulder. Such incredible strength is provided by a huge number of muscles. A quarter of the muscles of an excavator are responsible for the work of the jaw - a phenomenal indicator! For comparison, in humans, less than 0.5% of the muscles are responsible for the work of the jaw, in a dog - slightly more than 1%. Another interesting feature of the teeth of an excavator is that it can move each tooth separately.