The Different Teeth in Alligators

The Different Teeth in Alligators. Alligators, like all crocodilians, have only one type of teeth. Their teeth are cone-shaped, relatively long and embedded in the outside of the jaw. The American alligator's teeth are more pointed than the Chinese alligator's, which are designed to crush rather than pierce. This is because the Chinese variety eats more shellfish and hard-shelled animals than its American cousin.

Premaxillary Teeth

The premaxillary teeth are those located just below the nostrils in the upper jaw. American alligators generally have around five teeth located near the tip of the snout. The smaller Chinese alligator has the same number. The teeth are sharp, pointed and curve backwards into the mouth.

Maxillary Teeth

The maxillary teeth are those found in the upper jaw, discounting the premaxillary teeth. In alligators, these teeth run along both sides of the upper jaw in a line and tend to curve back towards the body. American Alligators have 13 to 15 maxillary teeth on each side of the mouth, while Chinese alligators have 13 to 14. Unlike in human dentition, where teeth fit together very closely, these teeth have gaps between them. The teeth can also vary in size from short to long.

Mandibular Teeth

Mandibular teeth are all those found in the lower jaw. Like those in the upper jaw, the teeth are of varied lengths, pointed, sharp and backwardly curved toward the body. The teeth run along the length of the lower jaw, and generally consist of between 19 and 20 teeth on both sides of the mouth for American alligators, and 18 to 19 for the Chinese variety.

Alligator Teeth Facts

Unlike crocodiles, alligators have a socket in their upper jaws into which the large fourth tooth can slot out of sight. The crocodile has a groove on the outside of its snout into which its fourth tooth slides. The violent manner in which alligators feed means that teeth can easily be broken or knocked out, so they are constantly regrowing them. Alligators have up to 80 teeth in their mouth at any one time, but can go through 2,000 to 3,000 teeth in their lifetime. The reason the alligator's teeth are so primitive and only consist of one type is that they do not chew their food, so they do not need the complicated dentition this requires. The teeth have only one task: to grip and hold when the jaws clamp down on prey. The animal then spins its entire body, tearing off chucks of its prey's flesh with its powerful jaws and swallowing them whole.

References

• University of Florida Museum of Natural History; Alligator Mississippiensis; January, 2009
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology; Order Crocodylia; Danny Goodisman; September, 2002
• Seaworld: American Alligator
• University of Florida Museum of Natural History; Alligator Sinensis; January, 2009
• San Diego Zoo: Reptiles: Alligator and Crocodile