Teeth

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Definition of Teeth
(Scientific name: Dentes)

From the elephant glossary Section: elephant anatomy Section: anatomy

Closeup of the cheek teeth of a dead juvenile bush elephant

Molar replacement
Molar	Molar Appearance	Molar Loss
I	birth	2 years
II	birth	6 years
III	1 year	13-15 years
IV	6 years	28 years
V	18 years	43 years
VI	30 years	65+ years

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Elephants usually have 26 teeth: the Incisors , known as the tusks, 12 deciduous premolars, and 12 molars. Unlike most mammals, which grow baby teeth and then replace them with a single permanent set of Adult teeth, elephants are polyphyodonts that have cycles of tooth rotation throughout their lives.

The chewing teeth are replaced six times in a typical elephant's lifetime. Teeth are not replaced by new ones emerging from the jaws vertically as in most mammals. Instead, new teeth grow in at the back of the mouth and move forward to push out the old ones

The first chewing tooth on each side of the jaw falls out when the elephant is two to three years old.

The second set of chewing teeth falls out at four to six years old.

The third set falls out at 9–15 years of age

Set four lasts until 18–28 years of age.

The fifth set of teeth falls out at the early 40s.

The sixth (and usually final) last the rest of its life. When worn down, the elephant died of starvation.

Elephant teeth have loop-shaped dental ridges, which are thicker and more diamond-shaped in African elephants.

Teeth is mentioned on 8 other pagesTeeth, Tusks, Molar, The elephants child, Zygolophodont, Tuskless, Osteology, Hypsodont,

Teeth is mentioned on 2 person pagesChristoph Schulz, Piyadasa ,

Teeth is mentioned on 6 location pagesCarl Hagenbecks Wild Animal Circus, Jamrach menagerie, Sonepur Fair, Sorocaba Zoo, The Big Game Ranch, University of Nebraska State Museum,

Teeth is mentioned on 18 elephant record pagesBabe (Babylon), Barbara (Sheva), Bridgeport, Bumi, Deborah (wild), First specimen of Mastodon, Indira, Keemaya, Letchmi, Limpopo, Madhubala, Raja, Sasab, Sparks Mary, Supan, Tembo, Vatsala, Yuan Yuan,

Reference list Koehl, Dan, (2025). Teeth. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 20 September 2021 at https://www.elephant.se/index.php?id=38. (archived at the Wayback machine)

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Definition of Teeth(Scientific name: Dentes)

From the elephant glossary Section: elephant anatomy Section: anatomy

External relevant search

Definition of Teeth
(Scientific name: Dentes)