How do elephants chew?
Elephants eat by grinding tough plants matter back and forth between four massive molars- one on top and one on the bottom at each side of the mouth. These are rasped away over many years and replaced six times throughout the elephant's life. As each tooth is gradually worn down, the root is reabsorbed and the whole tooth is eventually replaced by a new one developing behind it. If an elephant is still alive when its last tooth wears out, it can no longer chew its food and will die of starvation. In fact, this rarely happens in the wild, since the animals don't usually live to such a great age.
Elephants eat by grinding tough plants matter back and forth between four massive molars- one on top and one on the bottom at each side of the mouth. These are rasped away over many years and replaced six times throughout the elephant's life. As each tooth is gradually worn down, the root is reabsorbed and the whole tooth is eventually replaced by a new one developing behind it. If an elephant is still alive when its last tooth wears out, it can no longer chew its food and will die of starvation. In fact, this rarely happens in the wild, since the animals don't usually live to such a great age.
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