The two sides of the lower jaw are fused together for most of their length, which gives the sperm whale’s mandible its distinctive rod-like shape. The sperm whale’s tongue is actually short and fat, and sits far back in its mouth. Well, the mandible of the sperm whale has evolved so that, instead of each row of teeth being separated by a tongue–the rows are actually right next to each other. But what’s so special about the sperm whale’s lower jaw? A sperm whale’s head can reach nearly twenty feet in length, and their mandible is nearly as long. Sperm whales are famous for their big heads.
WHALE TEETH FULL
Instead, their upper jaw is full of sockets that the teeth on the bottom fit into. Sperm whales very rarely have teeth in their upper jaw. Sperm whales have between 36-60 teeth–all located on their bottom jaw (mandible).
It can reach up to eight inches in length and weigh over two pounds. This single tooth is banana shaped, with a slight curve towards the sperm whale’s body. Unlike humans–who have four types of teeth (incisors, canines, premolars, and molars), sperm whales are monophyodonts, which means they only have one type of tooth. Sperm whales are odontocetes, meaning toothed whales.
What’s So Special About Sperm Whale Teeth? Sperm whales have up to 60 conical teeth in their bottom jaw Toothed whales are special because, unlike baleen whales–who use their mouths to filter feed tiny critters, toothed whales hunt their prey.īut just what do sperm whales hunt, and how do they use their teeth to feed? Here, we’ll discover more about these fascinating teeth, what they use them for, how scientists use them for aging and DNA studies, and the unique art form created specially for these incredible teeth. They’re members of the Cetacea order, which is further subdivided into baleen whales like humpbacks, and toothed whales like sperm whales and dolphins. Sperm whales are the largest toothed predator in the world, and the largest toothed whale.
Watch a Black Lab Narrowly Outswim Two… Sperm whales are the largest toothed predator on Earth.
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