Dental Elements of a Rhinoceros Tooth

Rhinoceros have four different kinds of teeth: premolars, molars, incisors and canine teeth. Not all species of rhinoceros have all four of these teeth -- some have only two different types, such as the black and white rhinoceros, which lacks both incisors and canine teeth. The elements, or aspects, of each tooth differ in placement and usage of each of the four.

  1. Premolars

    • The premolars are located in the side jaws and are primarily used for grinding up vegetation to be consumed. Premolars are large teeth that often become just as large as molars. Rhinoceros have anywhere from three to four premolars in each half of the upper and lower jaws, depending on the species. Sitting in front of the molars, closer to the opening of the mouth, premolars have crowns which, through evolution, have become raised up higher to help with the plant grazing process.

    Molars

    • In all living species of rhinoceros there are three molar teeth on the top and bottom of both jaw halves for a total of 12 molars. Similar to the premolars, the molars are used for grinding vegetation. Through evolution, the molars have developed ridges that assist in this process. The ridges of the top molars are located on the outer edge of each tooth. Both molars and premolars have cement that fills in the hollow parts of the teeth to provide extra strength for chewing.

    Incisors

    • Incisors are the front, flat teeth found in the Asian and Indian species. These species use the sharp incisors to defend themselves during fights with other rhinoceros, rather than using their horns. The Asian species usually only have incisors found on the top parts of the jaw. The African species have two horns and use them to fight since they lack incisors and canine teeth.

    Canine Teeth

    • Canine teeth are sharp, pointed teeth found right next to the incisors when moving away from the front of the mouth. Similar to incisors, canine teeth are found only in the mouths of Asian and Indian rhinoceros and are also used for defensive measures. The canine teeth of the Indian species are found in the lower jaw, while the Asian rhinoceros canine teeth are located in the top jaw.