Mouth and teeth of turtles, how many teeth are in the mouth of turtles

The leatherback sea turtle is one of the oldest and largest representatives of the species. In her mouth there are dozens of teeth that, like stalactites, cover the surface of the oral cavity from above and on the sides. Smooth rows of spikes stretch all the way to the esophagus. The turtle’s teeth are directed inward, which allows the reptile to securely hold prey in its mouth.

It is known that the mouth was arranged in a similar way in many species of ancient reptiles. Most modern species do not have teeth. For cutting food, the animals use the pointed jagged edge of the ramfoteka. A pet looks harmless, but can seriously bite.

The structure of the mouth of a domestic turtle

Does the turtle have teeth, and how the oral cavity is arranged from the inside, it is worth figuring out in order to control the health of the pet. Inside you can see the mucous tissue, a uniform pinkish color. In the mouth, the reptile has a short and thick tongue. It is not adapted for capturing food, but is involved in swallowing.

In a healthy reptile:

• there is no excessive salivation;
• dilated vessels do not appear on the mucous membrane with bright stripes;
• the turtle’s mouth is evenly pink inside, without blueness, yellowness, pallor, swelling and redness;
• mucus, film and pus do not appear.

A healthy pet does not breathe through the mouth. If the reptile often opens its beak and hoots, you should contact a herpetologist. It can be a sign of difficulty breathing and a symptom of many diseases.

In nature, the red-eared turtle feeds on small fish, water snails, insects and algae. Neither wild nor tamed individuals need teeth for this. The mouth of a turtle is like a beak. Outside, the mouth is surrounded by hard horny plates – ramfoteka. This tissue lacks nerve endings and blood vessels. Rigid edges effectively cut through rough food.

The question of how many teeth a turtle has is also not relevant for land species of domestic turtles. Most of the members of the family are content with plant foods. Like claws, ramphoteks are constantly growing, and for a normal bite they must be ground down. A healthy reptile, which is kept in suitable conditions, copes with this task on its own. The bite must be controlled so that defects do not impede the process of nutrition. The stratification of the ramfoteka indicates mistakes in caring for a pet.