Why do humans and animals have different types of teeth?

Humans have three main types of teeth.


incisors for cutting, canines for grabbing and tearing and premolars/molars for grinding.





Animal teeth vary according to diet.





eg


In carnivores the canines are more developed and some of the premolars/molars are adapted for cutting (carnassial teeth).





Many herbivores have teeth which grow throughout life to allow for wear during gnawing and grinding of fibrous food.





Sharks have several rows of teeth to allow for replacement when damaged.





Some animals have teeth adapted as tools, sexual signals or weapons. (tusks)

Why do humans and animals have different types of teeth?
Animals teeth are designed for the type of food they eat.


Carnivores have sharp tearing teeth for eating meat.


Herbivores have flat teeth for cutting and grinding plants.


Omnivores (like humans) have a mixture of meat teeth and plant teeth since we eat both things.
Reply:To eat different
Reply:Different types of teeth are part of the evolutionary process. Animals that hunt for their food and eat raw meat have the fangs necissary for it. Herbivores have flat teeth to grind plant matter. As for humans, our ancestors needed the fangs for some of the food they ate, but as our diets and ways of finding food developed, we lost the need for such sharp teeth, which is why we have the remnants (canine teeth) but have the omnivorous grinding teeth(molars) for the plants we eat.



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