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- Teeth modified for snagging prey are hook-shaped (sharpnose sevengill shark, shortfin mako shark), while those modified for slicing are more knife-shaped (kitefin and tiger shark). Sharks that feed upon prey with hard shells or spines have flat and robust teeth modified for crushing and mashing (Port Jackson shark, various rays). Open-ocean/pelagic predators tend to have jaws and teeth that are well adapted for snagging and slicing fast-swimming or soft bodied prey. Bottom dwelling sharks and rays often have a mouth modified to suck up and crush prey.
- On the kitefin shark, the bottom set of teeth are modified for slicing, while the top set of teeth are shaped for grasping. On the Port Jackson shark, the front set of teeth are used for probing for food while the back set are used to crush prey. Having different kinds of teeth (like the teeth in your own mouth) allow you to specialize on different food sources.
- Even though the whorl tooth shark fossil was discovered more than a century ago, there is still some debate as to how these ancient sharks used these strange teeth. Some reconstructions place the whorl on the upper jaw, but most scientists think they protruded out of the lower jaw. These open water (pelagic) predators used their foremost teeth to snag prey which were pulled into their mouth, then used the rest of their teeth to slice the prey. Some scientists think their whorl of teeth could have worked a bit like a chop saw, but there is still much we do not know about these fascinating sharks.
- The Largetooth Sawfish are cartilaginous fish with a rostrum (or bill) that is shaped liked a double-bladed saw. The “teeth” on this saw are highly modified scales (dermal denticles) and not true teeth. The sawfish uses its bill to stir up the ocean floor to find bottom-dwelling prey like small mollusks and crustaceans. It can also use its bill to slash at groups of fish.
- As opportunistic feeders, tiger sharks are naturally curious and probe their environments to investigate potential food sources. This becomes a problem when they live in areas heavily impacted by pollution. Ingesting these foreign objects can linger in the shark’s stomach and ultimately injure the animal. What can you do? Reduce waste and wisely choose sustainable seafood.
