Shark Tooth

sharks · teeth · ocean

Endless tooth factory. Some sharks shed around 35,000 teeth in their lifetime. That's like losing and growing a whole new set of teeth hundreds of times over, kind of like how humans get baby teeth and then adult teeth, except sharks never stop.

Four different types. Shark teeth come in four basic styles: dense and flattened (for crushing), needle-like (for gripping), pointed bottom with triangular top (for tearing), and some that don't work at all. Each type is perfectly designed for what the shark likes to eat.

Teeth match the menu. A shark's tooth shape depends totally on what it eats. A shark that crunches hard shells has different teeth than one that hunts slippery fish, because evolution gave each shark the perfect tools for its favorite food.

Built-in replacement system. When a shark loses a tooth (maybe from fighting or eating something tough), a new one is already waiting to move forward and take its place. Sharks basically have a production line of backup teeth ready to go.