Why elephants don’t have canine teeth?
In: Biology
I dont know this for a 100% fact but I’d hazard a guess that it’s because they dont eat meat, the majority of carnivourus/ omnivorous animals have canines for the purpose of ripping and tearing meat, whereas molars are used for crushing and grinding plant matter more efficiently.
If you look at the teeth of most cattle you’ll also find that their teeth look very very similar to that of an elephant’s too, on the other hand take a closer look at a dog’s teeth and youll notice that they look very similar to ours.
Elephants are herbivores and dont requite teeth for tearing flesh. It’s a bit like asking why don’t cows have canines? There is no evolutionary advantage for a herbivore to have canines unless it’s branching out into omnivore teritory.
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