Hippos are distinguishable by their conspicuously massive mouth and teeth used to repel threats. They use their razor-sharp canines, which may reach 20 inches in length, for combat, while they use their molars for eating. Hippos shred and soften their food, rather than chewing it, to retain optimum nutrients. Grasses, reeds, and tiny shoots make up the bulk of their herbivorous diet. Despite their sedentary lifestyle, they eat 1 to 1.5% of their total weight every night. Their incredible jaw strength allows them to expand their mouth up to 150 degrees, and their bite is almost three times as powerful as that of a lion’s. In fact, a single hippo bite can split a human body in half.
The Viperfish gets its name from its sharp, fang-like teeth. Their teeth are so long that they protrude from the jaws, curving sharply back toward the fish’s eyes. These needle-like teeth impale prey while viperfish swim at a rapid pace. The first vertebra, located directly behind the head, serves as a shock absorber. The ability of their uniquely large teeth to turn inward allows prey to enter the gullet more easily, while preventing escape.
Adult African elephants possess lophodont dentition, a set of six moving, growing molars. About four to six times throughout an elephant’s life, their teeth deteriorate and regrow. As they get older, they’re unable to replace these molars needed to process food and may starve to death. Tusks on both sexes of African elephants develop from tushes, which are like milk teeth in humans that fall out when calves are about a year old. Tusks are mostly used for feeding-related activities, including digging for roots and removing tree bark. They are also useful for protection against predatory attacks and fights during the mating season. Tusks can range in length from 1.5 to 2.4 meters and weigh between 23 and 45 kilograms. They curl forward and continue growing during an elephant’s life.
Narwhals do not have traditional teeth. However, males grow a prominent, long tooth that sticks out from the left side of the upper jaw. This straight tusk can grow to be as long as half of the whale’s typical 16-foot body length. It’s the only spiral tooth in nature, and it grows in a counterclockwise spiral. Females rarely have the famous tusk, but their lifespan is equal to that of males, proving that the tusk must not be essential to the narwhal’s survival. The legendary tusk is the source of the unicorn myth. When European whalers traveled to the Arctic, they caught narwhals and brought their tusks back, along with fascinating tales about the animals to which they belonged.
Sperm whales have enormous, block-shaped heads that can be between one-quarter and one-third of their body length. Their huge, conical teeth capture their favorite prey, which includes squid, sharks, and fish. They can dive to tremendous depths (up to 1000 meters) and stay underwater for extraordinarily long periods (up to two hours), increasing their chances of finding prey.