Teeth Flashcards
Q: What is unique about the tooth replacement process in mammals? 🦷
A: Mammals have a single tooth replacement cycle. They are born with baby teeth (deciduous teeth), which are replaced by permanent adult teeth as they mature. Once adult teeth are lost, they cannot be naturally replaced.
Q: What happens to mammalian teeth as the animal matures? 🌟
A: Baby teeth (milk teeth) are replaced with permanent adult teeth during childhood or adolescence. These adult teeth are the final set for life.
Q: How did dinosaur tooth replacement differ from that of mammals? 🦖
A: Dinosaurs had continuous tooth regeneration, similar to crocodiles and sharks. They replaced their teeth regularly throughout their lives, with new teeth growing underneath old ones and pushing them out.
Q: How frequently did Tyrannosaurus Rex replace its teeth? ⏳
A: Tyrannosaurs replaced their teeth approximately every 1.5 to 2 years. Even undamaged teeth were replaced to ensure continuous functionality.
Q: What was notable about the tooth structure of hadrosaurs? 🦷
A: Hadrosaurs had around 1,000 teeth arranged in layers. This “dental battery” provided a continuous grinding surface ideal for processing tough plant material.
Q: How did hadrosaur teeth contribute to their feeding efficiency? 🥦
A: The tightly packed, layered teeth formed a continuous grinding surface. This adaptation allowed hadrosaurs to efficiently process fibrous vegetation.
Q: How did Tyrannosaurus Rex lose its teeth? 🦷
A: Similar to humans, tyrannosaur teeth became loose as new teeth grew underneath. The loose teeth often fell out during feeding or other activities.
Q: What was the function of hadrosaur’s complex jaw movements? 🦕
A: Hadrosaur jaws moved side to side and back and forth to effectively grind tough plants. The continuous replacement of worn-out teeth helped maintain a consistent grinding surface.
Q: How do mammalian herbivores’ teeth differ from hadrosaur dental adaptations? 🐄🦖
A: Mammalian herbivores have one set of tall adult teeth for life, designed to grind tough plants. In contrast, hadrosaurs had a dental battery with many rows of teeth that were continuously replaced to handle wear and tear.
Q: What does “convergent evolution” mean in the context of dinosaur teeth? 🔄
A: Convergent evolution refers to the independent development of similar dental adaptations in different dinosaur lineages, like hadrosaurs and ceratopsians, to efficiently process tough plant matter.
Q: What type of teeth did ceratopsians like Triceratops have? 🦄
A: Ceratopsians had vertically oriented teeth with sharp enamel edges that created a cutting surface for chopping tough plants before grinding.
Q: What were the teeth of sauropods like, and what were they used for? 🌳
A: Sauropods had peg-like teeth suited for stripping leaves and processing softer plant material, rather than grinding tough vegetation.
Q: How were tyrannosaur teeth adapted for carnivory? 🗡️
A: Tyrannosaur teeth had serrated edges, functioning like steak knives to slice through flesh efficiently.
Q: What type of teeth did herbivorous dinosaurs like Pachycephalosaurs and Ankylosaurs have? 🌿
A: These dinosaurs had leaf-shaped teeth with cutting edges, ideal for slicing through tough plant material.
Q: How did the tooth structure of hadrosaurs support their herbivorous diet? 🦷
A: Hadrosaur teeth were part of a dental battery, with tightly packed rows forming a single grinding surface that processed fibrous plant material efficiently.
