Never Smile at a Crocodile Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mice

Rodents with teeth which continually grow are said to be "aradicular hypsodonts" - this basically means they have one set of teeth that grow all the time, rather than more than one set of teeth which replace each other.

Answer: Aardvark

Aadvark teeth have no enamel on their surfaces, and have a unique structure made up of microtubules in the pulp, made up of a substance called vasodentin. A baby aadvark has teeth at the front and back of its jaw, but as it matures the front ones fall out and an adult will only have teeth at the back of the jaw. These grow throughout its life.

Answer: Second incisors in the upper jaw

A baby elephant will have 'milk tusks' which fall out in during its first year of life to be replaced with the adult tusks; these are actually the second incisors in the upper jaw. The tusks grow continuously throughout the elephant's life. There are then three premolars and three molars in each side of the upper and lower jaws.

These twelve premolars, and later in life, twelve molars, are used in sets. As each tooth at the front wears away, the ones behind it move forward in the jaws. All together, they will last around 60 years, and once the last set is too worn for the elephant to consume sufficient food it will die.

The oldest recorded elephant reached 82 years of age, but she lived in captivity. Elephants are also prone to various tooth diseases, abscesses and the like, and these can also lead to the death of the animal.

Answer: Narwhal

Monodon monoceros translates to English as "one tooth, one horn". The vast majority of male narwhals have one long spiral tusk, in their upper left jaw. Every single one ever found has been a left handed helix, and it is thought that there is no such thing as a 'right handed' narwhal tusk.

There are rare cases where the creature's upper right incisor has grown into a tusk too, giving it a pair, and even one single instance of a female narwhal with a pair of tusks. In ancient times, the tusks of narwhals were thought to be unicorn horn, with various mystic powers attributed to them; they changed hands for vast sums of money.

Answer: It had molars and canines like a mammal

All the other known Crocodilian species, both fossilized and alive today, have conical teeth which are all the same. Pakasuchus is unique in that it had mammalian dentition. Scientists also think that it might have been actually able to chew food, with a mobile lower jaw; this is unheard of in modern reptiles.

Answer: It has no teeth at all

As well as having no teeth, giant anteaters do not have hydrochloric acid in their stomachs. Instead, they use the formic acid produced by the ants they eat as stomach acid.

Answer: Piranhas

Piranhas have interlocking teeth, with a central cusp that is larger than the surrounding ones; this gives them their characteristic triangular appearance. Contrary to the various stories and folklore about them, piranhas are not the bloodthirsty, vicious killers they are portrayed.

Although they can be a nuisance to anglers, damaging bait, catch, and equipment, they do not "swarm" and attack humans or large animals.

Answer: Alveolar process

The actual alveolar process is the part of whichever facial bone of an animal that actually provides the anchorage for the teeth.
In mammals they are the maxilla and the mandible.
A tooth socket is called an alveolus, and the teeth are fixed within them by a special joint called a gomphosis.

Answer: Dental caries

G.V. Black trained as a dentist in the 1850s. The full name of his system is "Black's Classification of Caries Lesions" and it is still in use today.
He was also a pioneer in the use of nitrous oxide for pain relief during dental treatment, and did important research into fluoridation, and the use of amalgams for fillings.

Answer: Endodontic therapy

The actual root canal itself is the space within the body of a tooth that contains the pulp and the various tiny branching canals through which the nervous tissues pass. The name for the space has come to be used for the operation of removing the 'contents' of a tooth, and it is often cited as the dental process that patients most fear.