We know that teeth are essential to eat food. Not all the teeth in our mouth have the same function, though. We use the teeth in front of our mouth for shredding and cutting hard substances such as meat. Those at the back are generally used for chewing food.
Some mammals, however, have no teeth at all. Some, on the other hand, have very weak teeth. These are called ‘toothless mammals’. Sloths, anteaters and armadillos belong to this group. Some toothless mammals have small ‘pegs’ at the back of their mouths, which they use for chewing. They do not have frontal teeth to bite into things.
In fact, these mammals do not need frontal teeth, since they either lap up their food or slowly chew leaves. Anteaters lap up and chew soft-bodied insects like ants and termites, while sloths eat leaves and fruits, which require only gentle chewing. Though armadillos are ‘toothless’ they manage to eat earthworms, insects, small reptiles as well as the flesh of dead animals.
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