Biology Lab
Shannon Yeh October 28, 2013
Animal Dentition Laboratory Assignment
(Figure 1.) Tooth Sharpness (degrees)
(Figure 2.) Relative Tooth Width (mm.)
Results:
The dental formula is a convention used by mammalogists to determine the tooth number and tooth arrangements. The dental formula is calculated by counting the number of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars present in the upper jaw (one side) and counting the number of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars in the lower jaw (one side). The total number of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars (upper +lower jaw) multiplied by 2 would equal to the total number of teeth present in the mammal. The dental formulas for these three species: coyote (Canis latrans), deer (Odocoileus virginanus), and human (Homo sapien) are all different. The coyote had the dental formula of 3-1-4-2/3-1-4-2 (x2), which produced the total of 40 teeth. The deer had the dental formula of 0-0-3-3/3-1-3-3 (x2), which equaled to 32 teeth. The human species had a smaller number of teeth with the dental formula being 2-1-2-2/2-1-2-2 (x2), which produced a total of 28 teeth. The numbers of molars in the coyote upper and lower jaws were the same as the number of molars in the human (upper + lower jaws). According to the dental formula data, not all skulls have the same numbers of different tooth types in the maxilla and mandible because each skull could have varied number of tooth types.
The coyote (Canis latrans) had the largest skull and the human (Homo sapiens) had the smallest skull. The coyote and deer both had largest teeth while the human species had the smallest teeth. Since the coyote has more teeth in its skull, it would have more occlusal surfaces. The species with the most flat teeth would be human species. Coyotes have the most complex topography on the biting surface because there were a lot of different types of teeth such as sharp incisors and their jaws are larger than humans. The coyote
Animal Dentition Laboratory Assignment
(Figure 1.) Tooth Sharpness (degrees)
(Figure 2.) Relative Tooth Width (mm.)
Results:
The dental formula is a convention used by mammalogists to determine the tooth number and tooth arrangements. The dental formula is calculated by counting the number of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars present in the upper jaw (one side) and counting the number of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars in the lower jaw (one side). The total number of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars (upper +lower jaw) multiplied by 2 would equal to the total number of teeth present in the mammal. The dental formulas for these three species: coyote (Canis latrans), deer (Odocoileus virginanus), and human (Homo sapien) are all different. The coyote had the dental formula of 3-1-4-2/3-1-4-2 (x2), which produced the total of 40 teeth. The deer had the dental formula of 0-0-3-3/3-1-3-3 (x2), which equaled to 32 teeth. The human species had a smaller number of teeth with the dental formula being 2-1-2-2/2-1-2-2 (x2), which produced a total of 28 teeth. The numbers of molars in the coyote upper and lower jaws were the same as the number of molars in the human (upper + lower jaws). According to the dental formula data, not all skulls have the same numbers of different tooth types in the maxilla and mandible because each skull could have varied number of tooth types.
The coyote (Canis latrans) had the largest skull and the human (Homo sapiens) had the smallest skull. The coyote and deer both had largest teeth while the human species had the smallest teeth. Since the coyote has more teeth in its skull, it would have more occlusal surfaces. The species with the most flat teeth would be human species. Coyotes have the most complex topography on the biting surface because there were a lot of different types of teeth such as sharp incisors and their jaws are larger than humans. The coyote