A shark tooth is one of numerous teeth in the shark’s mouth. Different sharks can be classified on the basis of the teeth they have and the functions that such teeth perform in consuming their prey. There are four basic types of shark teeth: dense flattened, needle-like, pointed lower with triangle upper, and non-functional. Sharks have a complete set of teeth when they are born. These teeth are modified placoid scales with an outer layer of enamel, dentine and a central pulp cavity; similar to humans. The number and rows in each jaw vary from 5 to 15 and may differ from species to species. Some sharks like the bull shark can have up to 50 rows. The skin of gums in sharks acts as a conveyer belt, which arranges an easy replacement of the lost teeth by developing new ones. As a front tooth is broken or worn down, it falls out and is replaced by a tooth in the next row. Sharks may have up to 3,000 teeth at one time, losing tens of thousands of teeth during their lifetime. Sharks do not have roots in their teeth for …show more content…
Dense flattened teeth are used to crush prey like crustaceans. Nurse sharks and angel sharks are found on the bottom floor of the ocean and use these teeth in order to crack open the shell their prey uses for protection. Needle-like teeth, generally feed on small and medium fish, or on smaller sharks. These teeth are designed to grip narrow and slippery meals. Specifically blue shark and bull sharks use these teeth to feed on small prey like squid, flounder, and even hammerhead sharks. The combination of triangular upper and pointed lower helps to cut large prey into smaller segments. Great white sharks have such teeth and prey on other sharks, dolphins, sea lions and small whales. The teeth of plankton feeders, such as the basking shark and the whale shark, are non-functional. These sharks filter feed by opening their mouths to let tiny organisms in, not using teeth at