Camels are large hooved mammals known for their humps. In popular culture, they're sometimes portrayed with broad smiles and prominent rows of teeth. Adult camels have 34 teeth altogether. Like many mammals, they start with deciduous or baby teeth and replace them with permanent teeth as they mature.
Types of Camel Teeth
Camels have several different kinds of teeth, distinguished by their location in the mouth and their purpose. They have incisors, canines and molars, or premolars in baby camels. A camel has eight incisors, six in the lower jaw and two in the upper jaw, and 12 molars -- three on each side of the mouth, in both the upper and lower jaws. Tooth wear serves to help determine camels' ages, but a camel's environment must be factored in, because it determines the animal's diet and consequent effect on the teeth.
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Catherine Lovering has written about business, tax, careers and pets since 2006. Lovering holds a B.A. (political science), LL.B. (law) and LL.L. (civil law).
