Primate Dentition Set

COMP-119 $375.00

Dentition analysis in primates reflects their food preferences, social structure, and general way of life. The dentition seen in primates will be a combination of incisors, canines, premolars, and molars, with variation in structure to reflect a particular diet. In general, incisors are used for biting and cutting, canines for shearing and tearing, premolars and molars for crushing. The shape and morphology of these various teeth can be indicative of the primate’s eating habits and lifestyle.

The molar cusp pattern distinguishes monkeys from apes. Monkeys have 4 cusps on their molars that are joined by a transverse ridge, known as a bilophodont molar. Apes have an extra cusp that forms a Y shaped pattern in the tooth, known as a Y-5 molar.

Insectivores, like the aye-aye, typically have large back teeth in comparison to the front teeth, with sharp, pointed crests used for shearing and crushing. The incisors of the aye-aye are used to gnaw through bark to expose insect larvae.

Frugivores, like the orangutan and indri lemur, use their large, wide incisors to bite, peel and tear with low, rounded cusp molars to process fruits. The canines provide sharp cutting edges that shear past each other when the mouth is closing. The indri lemur possesses elongated lower incisors and canines used for grooming, with the premolars resembling sharpened canines.

Folivores, like the howler monkey, specialize in eating leaves with specialized dentition to process this difficult diet. The incisors are small, and the molars have high, sharp cusps connected by shearing crests, aiding in the processing of fibrous leaf material.

Many primates are omnivores, and their dentition will reflect generalized features that will allow them to consume a variety of foods. The chacma baboon is an omnivore whose diet consists of fruits, leaves, eggs, flowers, roots, and small animals.

Contains mandibles from the following skulls:
BC-353 Aye-aye
BC-255 Bornean Orangutan
BC-282 Indri Lemur
BC-017 Howler Monkey
BC-259 Chacma Baboon