Teeth in BTS

[Kbell31]

I have been wondering about this for some time now. If anyone remembers the "Desiccated Eastern Pictures" thread posted by LeaBilby awhile ago, there were some good pictures of the head and mouth. I couldnt help but see how many teeth that skink had and was shocked at how many there were! My skink does not appear to have nearly that many teeth and I am wondering which is more normal. Are skinks born with all of their teeth or do they come in with age? I will try to post a pic of mine with her mouth open for reference. Anyone else? Check back to the old post I am referring to, if I had half a brain I would link it (:

[Jeff]

Here's the link:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=19758

[Richard.C]

skulls show teeth well.you will find yours has as many teeth to,they hide well in there fleshy gums but i assure you they are there,the back ones stand out more on live animals

[Kbell31]

Thanks Jeff!

I see, so if they are covered up by the gums what function do they serve? I only see the back teeth in mine like you said Richard.

[James Wilson]

as Richard mentioned, the teeth are recessed in the gums, and are often not easy to see at all. Here is a shot that may show them a bit more.

DSC05754.5.JPG

[Kbell31]

Yes I can def see those from that pic. So am I to assume back teeth are used for chewing, the front that you cannot see are for tearing and biting and only show when doing these two actions?

[Katrina]

Yes I can def see those from that pic. So am I to assume back teeth are used for chewing, the front that you cannot see are for tearing and biting and only show when doing these two actions?

They don't really chew their food - they basically just stuff whatever will fit down, so they don't have specialized teeth for chewing or for tearing / biting. Their teeth would do some crunching up of snails / roaches etc and then biting like seen in the mating pic or for self defense. All of their teeth are the same little nubs, you can see it well in that one thread Lea posted of the desiccated Eastern. The front teeth aren't always very obvious in their mouths, but they are there. I see them fairly well on some of mine when they yawn.

[Fatal_S]

Think Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon

While I was taking photos of a mouth infection I managed to get lots of pictures showing the inside of my skinks mouth and his teeth (which were much more visible on the infected side):

[Katrina]

Here is the link to that thread with the other pics: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=19758&p=390035&hilit=Eastern#p390035

[Kbell31]

Wow, thats a lot of teeth in those pics, funny I have never seen anything like that in mine! I do notice she doesnt really "chew" either. More of a grab and gulp

[Kurt]

great pics! thanks everyone

[Nae]

Heres my contribution~!!

[Kbell31]

Is that skull from a wild skink Nae? How common is it to find skulls/dead skinks in Australia? And are they mostly found near the road?

[Nae]

Yup, its wild~ Dead skinks are very common sadly, but oddly enough finding complete skeletons and skulls isnt a common occurrence. If you want to find a dead skink for whatever reason, the roads are definitely the place to be unfortunately :/

[Kbell31]

Aww It would be hard to avoid running over a skink, they probably blend in well. I feel awful during the spring and summer rains when the frogs and toads are hopping all over the roads, you know you are running them over but what can you do?

[WanderingChai]

This is a very interesting thread- I'll keep watching.

[El Lobo]

Some information on the dentition of reptiles:

http://animal.discovery.com/guides/rept ... avity.html

[SFBlueTongue81]

This is so cool!
I love BTS teeth, those little nubs are so cute!
My skink has bit me 3 times thinking my finger was food, I didn't mind it was just a nibble really but I was surprised by how strong their jaw grip is! I can tell when he's going to do it now because he puts his gums against my finger before he bites. I guess they smash and mash more than chew but I'm sure the teeth help grip.
I love this stuff! After all the reptiles I've owned BTS's have quickly become my favorite.