Incisor
Incisors are the first kind of
tooth in
heterodont mammals. In many
herbivorous or omnivorous mammals, such as the human and the
horse, they are adapted for shearing sharply. In
cats, the incisors are small and do not do much; biting off meat is done with the canines and the carnassials. In
elephants, the upper incisors are modified into tusks. The incisors of
rodents grow throughout life and are worn by gnawing.
Humans have eight. Some other primates, cats, and horses, have twelve. The rodents have four; lagomorphs were once thought to be rodents, but are distinguished by having eight.
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