Practical 3

Question 1

What is homodont dentition?

Answer 1

It’s where all teeth in the jaw are alike.

Common in reptiles

Question 2

What is heterdont dentition?

Answer 2

Differentiation of teeth within the jaw for specialized functions. Common in mammals.

Question 3

In which direction does a carnivore’s jaw move?

Answer 3

Jaw moves in an up and down motion

Question 4

In carnivores, where do molars first meet?

Answer 4

Molars meet at the back first then gradually move towards the front

Question 5

How many blades are on a cheetah’s tooth?

Answer 5

Each tooth has one or two blades

Question 6

In which direction does and Koala’s (leaves-browsing) jaw move?

Answer 6

Jaw moves up and down at the start then moves in a side-to-side motion

Question 7

In koalas, where do molars first meet?

Answer 7

Molars meet at the same time

Question 8

In which motion does a horse’s (grass-grazer) jaw move?

Answer 8

Side-to-side grinding motion

Question 9

Dentition types for molars:

Answer 9

Tribosphenic 
Myrmecopahous
Sectorial
Homodont
Bunodont
Lophodont
Seledont
Filter feeder

Question 10

Tribosphenic

Answer 10

A triangular-shaped tooth with three peaks used to pierce invertebrate exoskeletons (e.g., shrew, bat)

Question 11

Animals with tribosphenic molars generally have what type of gut?

Answer 11

Short/medium length, with a simple gut

Question 12

Myrmecopahous

Answer 12

Dentition is characterized by a reduction in size, complexity, and amount of enamel present. Extreme development of this trend is the total loss of teeth e.g. echidna

Question 13

Do platypus’s have teeth?

Answer 13

They do not, use a keratin plate instead to grind their food

Question 14

What type of gut do animals with Myrmecopahous teeth generally have?

Answer 14

Short, simple gut

Question 15

Sectorial

Answer 15

A tall, blade-like tooth, overlapping with its opposite tooth when the jaw is closed thus providing a shearing force e.g., cats and dogs

Question 16

how do sectorail teeth differ from tribosphenic teeth in function?

Answer 16

Sectorial teeth are used more for slicing than piercing

Question 17

What gut would you expect animals with sectorial molars to possess?

Answer 17

Short and simple gut

Question 18

Homodont

Answer 18

All the teeth are similar in size and shape and very simple e.g., seal, dolphin

Question 19

How do homodont teeth differ from sectorial teeth in function?

Answer 19

Homodont teeth are used for catching and grasping fast-moving food rather than slicing off flesh

Question 20

What type of gut would you expect animals with homodont teeth to possess?

Answer 20

Long and simple gut

Question 21

Bunodont

Answer 21

Roughly square or oval in outline, with low, rounded cusps e.g., humans, pigs, bears

Question 22

What is the order of the mouth for animals with bunodont teeth?

Answer 22

Long sharp teeth at the front to rip and cut, with grinding molars at the back to break down plant material

Question 23

What gut type would you expect from animals with bunodont teeth?

Answer 23

Medium length to simple/complex guts

Question 24

Lophodont

Answer 24

Enamel ridges run across the tooth surface e.g., elephants, kangaroos

Question 25

What are some adaptations animals have evolved to combat teeth degradation from eating grass?

Answer 25

Kangaroos only use some teeth once, molar progression.
Wombats continuously grow teeth.
Horses have really long teeth that slowly wear down over time.

Question 26

What gut structure would you expect animals with lophodont teeth to possess?

Answer 26

Long, complex gut

Question 27

Selenodont

Answer 27

A particular kind of lophodont tooth with four crescent-shaped blades, found in most artiodactyles e.g., deer, sheep, cattle

Question 28

Selenodont

Answer 28

A particular kind of lophodont tooth with four crescent-shaped blades, found in most artiodactyles e.g., deer, sheep, cattle

Question 29

What type of gut would you expect animals with selenodont teeth to possess?

Answer 29

Long complex guts

Question 30

What have leopard seals and many whales evolved in order to capture large quantities of prey?

Answer 30

Evolved oral filter and ability to filter feed to capture and process large quantities of prey in a single mouth full.

Question 31

Why has filter feeding evolved in these animals

Answer 31

Allows them to acquire energy at higher rates when their prey is small and at high densities