A MR.

SAPORA PRODUCTION

DENTAL DETECTIVES
BACKGROUND INFORMATION

MAMMAL SKULL

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Mammals are consumers and are often divided into four different groups: herbivore, omnivore, carnivore, and scavenger. Did you know that you can tell what type of food a mammal specializes in eating just by looking at its teeth? You can even identify the species based on the number of and type of teeth that it has.
TYPES OF MAMMAL TEETH

Mammal teeth are divided into 4 different types. Use this list to help you gure out what type of skull you have. Incisor: Front-most teeth - used for bitting and cutting. Canine: Stabbing teeth - normally 1 pair on each side. Used to bite or kill prey - mainly in carnivores. Premolar: Next-back from canines. In herbivores and omnivores used to grind food and look similar to molars. In carnivores used to cut esh - sharp = carnassial-pair. Molars: The back teeth - used for crushing and grinding. Have 2-3 roots. Upper surface has ridges and bumps for grinding food. In carnivores, molars can be sharp. PART 1 IDENTIFY YOUR SKULL TYPE

HERBIVORE Molars and premolars specialized for grinding plants. No canines. If incisors present, long & used for gnawing.

CARNIVORE Molars sharp or rounded. Premolars sharp for cutting esh. Canines pointed and often long. Incisors small to medium.

OMNIVORE Molars rounded or ridged for grinding. Premolars rounded or pointed. Canines pointed. Incisors small to medium.

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MAKE-UP ACTIVITY
Name: Period:
MAKING-UP THE MISSED LAB

DENTAL DETECTIVE

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Read the Background Information section on the next page. You DO NOT have to memorize the different types of teeth, but for this activity you will need to use the diagram and understand the terms.
MAKING-UP THE MISSED LAB

After reading the Background Information. Use the descriptions of Part 1: Identifying Your Skull Type - to place the letter of the skulls shown below in the correct box.
PART 1 IDENTIFY YOUR SKULL TYPE

Write the Letter of the Skull in the appropriate box below. Herbivore Omnivore Carnivore

C A B