shark teeth photo

SHARK TEETH

Sharks have the most powerful jaws on the planet.  Unlike most animals' jaws, both the sharks' upper and lower jaws move.

A shark bites with it's lower jaw first and then its upper.  It tosses its head back and forth to tear loose a piece of meat which it swallows whole.

 

shark teethEach type of shark has a different shaped tooth depending on their diet (the shark in the photo is a great white -- you can tell he's a carnivore just by looking at those sharp, pointy teeth!).  

A shark may grow and use over 20,000 teeth in its lifetime!

 

shark teethSharks never run out of teeth.  If one is lost, another spins forward from the rows and rows of backup teeth.

 

 

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