Have you ever wondered what your favorite sea creatures’ teeth look like? Ocean creatures with intimidatingly huge teeth are not limited to sharks. It turns out that many marine species utilize their teeth as tools and for eating.
In the water, teeth appear in a variety of shapes and sizes, from one long, spiraling tooth on a narwhal to hundreds of razor-sharp teeth on great wʜɪᴛe sharks. The diversity of teeth has a purpose. While some of these animals utilize their teeth more as weapons or tools, others use them to ᴋɪʟʟ and consume prey.
Bottlenose Dolphin
This particular dolphin has 80 to 100 pointed, conical teeth. These teeth are actually used to grab their food rather than to chew. The bottlenose dolphin won’t develop a new tooth if one is ʟᴏsᴛ and maintain the same set of teeth throughout their life.
Purple Sea Urchin
Five teeth, each less than an inch long, are used by purple sea urchins to protect themselves from predators by drilling into stony cracks and crevices. Unexpectedly, some teeth retain their sharpness throughout their whole lives by breaking off at vulnerable areas.
Great Wʜɪᴛe Shark
Most people associate great wʜɪᴛe sharks with their 300 teeth, which are arranged in seven rows. Great wʜɪᴛe sharks lose and grow new teeth over the course of their lives, just like other shark species.
Amazon River Dolphin
On either side of their mouths, these dolphins have between 24 and 34 teeth. Their molars at the back of the mouth crush prey, while their conical teeth at the front of the mouth are employed to grip prey. According to the American Cetacean Society, this dolphin, also known as the boto, can be found throughout northern and central South America from the Amazon River to the Andes Mountains.
Northern Elephant Seal
Despite having 30 teeth, the massive canine teeth of northern elephant seals are probably the most well-known. During breeding season, the male uses his four huge canine fangs, which can grow to be about six inches long, to fend off other males.
