ANT333Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Talc, Folivore, Premolar
Document Summary
Ant333 lecture #8 dietary adaptations: dentition i. Hardest biological structure in body: varying from 5-8 on mohs scale (talc =1, diamond = 10). Attains full thickness before teeth emerge into oral cavity. Thicker over cusps of unworn premolars and molars, thinner around cervical region. Deciduous teeth have thinner enamel than permanent teeth. Basic histological structure in mammals is calcified rods or prisms. Not as mineralized as enamel, so softer than enamel but harder than bone. Makes up most of tooth and root. More compressible and elastic than enamel absorbs force placed on tooth. Does not contain variable histological patterns; thus, not of taxanomic utility for scientists. Teeth that are regionally differentiated in form so as to serve special functions. Blade-like teeth that cut and shear food at the front of mouth. Upper incisors are limited to the premaxilla bone. Some primate lineages have enlarged (plesiadapiformes) and/or specialized incisors, such as the.
