Do you think of the movie “JAWS” and those scary teeth when you picture a shark? Most people do. But actually not all sharks have those deadly sharp chompers.

One things that all sharks to have alike is their dermal denticles which are literally like “tiny teeth” that make up the composition of their skin. In essence they have pulp, inner blood vessels, and a shell made of a mineral called apatite (similar to teeth). The dermal denticles help each species of shark in a different way, whether they have teeth or not.

For sharks that do not have teeth, these dermal denticles help to break up the food. So, in a way they still use their “teeth.” However they definitely aren’t the kind we commonly associate with a shark!

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