Mammals: Teeth and Diet

Summary
This lesson explains how teeth are related to diet. The reading is designed to be part of a class discussion and it could be supplemented by showing examples of the teeth and jaws of different animals.

Objectives
• to explain the difference between herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores;

• to show the relation between the different types of teeth and different diets.

Suggested Grades
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade

Excerpt
Different animals eat different things. Some animals, like giraffe and elephants like eating leaves from trees. Some, like sheep and antelope, enjoying grazing grass and weeds. Other animals, like lions and tigers, eat only meat.

? Animals that eat plants are called herbivores.
? Animals that eat only meat are called carnivores.

Continued...