Types of Eaters Flashcards
Q: Why is it challenging to determine what dinosaurs ate?
A: It is challenging because we can’t observe dinosaurs directly like modern animals. Instead, paleontologists infer diets from fossil clues.
Q: How do carnivorous animals’ teeth differ from herbivorous animals’ teeth?
A: Carnivores have sharp teeth designed for piercing and tearing flesh, while herbivores have flat teeth optimized for grinding plant material.
Q: What are some examples of modern carnivores and their dental adaptations?
A: Wolves have long canines and pointed teeth for catching and consuming prey. They also have sharp claws for gripping and subduing prey.
Q: How do omnivorous animals’ teeth reflect their diet?
A: Omnivores have a combination of sharp and flat teeth. For example, bears have sharp canines for tearing meat and flat molars for grinding plant material. Humans also have a mixed dentition with canines, premolars, and molars.
Q: What adaptations do insectivores have for consuming insects?
A: Insectivores have sharp teeth for piercing insect exoskeletons. Examples include hedgehogs and shrews, which have needle-like teeth, and anteaters, which use powerful claws to break into insect nests.
Q: How do piscivores (fish-eaters) adapt to catch fish?
A: Piscivores have elongate, narrow jaws for snapping quickly and reaching far into water. Examples include gharials with long, tweezer-like jaws and procumbent dentition for spearing fish, and birds like loons with specialized beaks for skewering fish.
Q: What is durophagy, and which animals exhibit this feeding adaptation?
A: Durophagy refers to feeding on hard materials like bones or shells. Hyenas and Tasmanian Devils have powerful jaws and thick molars for cracking bones and consuming marrow.
Q: What dental adaptations do herbivores have for grinding plant material?
A: Herbivores have large, flattened molars that create extensive grinding surfaces. Examples include big horn sheep, deer, and kangaroos.
Q: What are the differences between frugivores, browsing herbivores, and grazing herbivores?
A:
Frugivores specialize in eating fruits and have adaptations suited for accessing and consuming them.
Browsing herbivores, like giraffes, feed on leaves from trees and shrubs, with dental structures adapted for grasping and chewing leaves.
Grazing herbivores, such as horses, primarily eat grasses and have teeth designed for continuous grinding of tough grass fibers.
Q: How do omnivores’ teeth and jaws reflect their varied diet?
A: Omnivores have a mixed dentition that includes both sharp teeth for meat and flat teeth for plant material. For example, warthogs have incisors for grasping, tusks for defense and digging, and molars for grinding plants.
Q: How do human teeth reflect an omnivorous diet?
A: Humans have canines and premolars for tearing meat, and molars for grinding plants, indicating our ability to consume a variety of foods.
Q: How can you infer a herbivorous diet from a skull?
A: A herbivore skull, like that of a horse, will have flat, grinding teeth with no sharp, pointed teeth, indicating a diet primarily composed of plant material.
Q: What features of a carnivore skull indicate a carnivorous diet?
A: A carnivore skull, such as a lion’s, will have sharp, pointed teeth including prominent canines, adapted for capturing, tearing, and consuming meat.
