Related Media Gallery for No teeth cleaning needed: Crocodiles shed old teeth, grow new ones
August 13th, 2019
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Casey Holliday
Casey Holliday, an associate professor of anatomy in the MU School of Medicine, and a team of researchers found that crocodiles — and even their plant-eating ancestors — had thin tooth enamel, a trait that is in stark contrast to humans and other hard-biting species.
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CT scan of tooth
The team used a three-dimensional x-ray scanner to measure the thickness of tooth enamel in crocodiles. They found regardless of tooth position — incisor, canine, molar — age or diet, crocodiles do not have thick tooth enamel. Photo:
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Fossilized crocodile teeth
Examples of fossilized crocodile teeth. Photo:
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