Re: Teeth designed for "cropping" not chewing....

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Posted by BabyHerp on April 23, 2001 at 11:05:47:

In Reply to: Do Iggy's chew there food?? posted by Christy on April 22, 2001 at 19:32:07:

So your observations are correct! Iguanas lack the squared off,flat teeth that needed for 'chewing'; grinding, crushing their food. Their serated conical teeth are for tearing/shearing leaf matter from trees but also used for subduing females during mating, and territorial defense against intruders or give their caregivers the what for! What looks like chewing to us...is just manipulating their tongue & jaws to get that food down their throats WHOLE! Here's an abstract on Iguana dentistry (?)

1: J Morphol 1976 Mar;148(3):363-90 Related Articles, Books

Oral food processing in two herbivorous lizards, Iguana iguana (Iguanidae) and Uromastix aegyptius (Agamidae).

Throckmorton GS.

The anatomy and function of the feeding apparatus in Iguana iguana and Uromastix aegyptius were studied by dissection, cinematic and cineradiographic techniques. The feeding behavior of these species differs from that of insectivorous lizards in the cropping action involves movement of both the upper jaw around the atlantooccipital joint and the lower jaw around the mandibular joint; and in Uromastix only, streptostylic movement of the quadrate. Often movements of the whole head play a supplementary role in the cropping action. In both species the feeding apparatus has been modified to facilitate cropping. In Iguana the pleurodont dentition is multicusped and laterally compressed. Each tooth forms a shearing blade whose function does not require contact with other teeth. In Uromastix the dentition is acrodont and the cheek teeth are massive and lack cusps. Occlusion is necessary for shearing plant material. The skull system of Uromastix also has a number of modified structures which allow protraction and retraction of the lower jaw to facilitate cropping while maintaining a gape equivalent to that in Iguana. It is suggested that the differences in the feeding apparatus between Iguana and Uromastix are attributable to differeces in the mode of tooth replacement and implantation.

PMID: 1255734 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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: So your observations are correct! Iguanas lack the squared off,flat teeth that needed for 'chewing'; grinding, crushing their food. Their serated conical teeth are for tearing/shearing leaf matter from trees but also used for subduing females during mating, and territorial defense against intruders or give their caregivers the what for! What looks like chewing to us...is just manipulating their tongue & jaws to get that food down their throats WHOLE! Here's an abstract on Iguana dentistry (?) : : 1: J Morphol 1976 Mar;148(3):363-90 Related Articles, Books : : Oral food processing in two herbivorous lizards, Iguana iguana (Iguanidae) and Uromastix aegyptius (Agamidae). : Throckmorton GS. : The anatomy and function of the feeding apparatus in Iguana iguana and Uromastix aegyptius were studied by dissection, cinematic and cineradiographic techniques. The feeding behavior of these species differs from that of insectivorous lizards in the cropping action involves movement of both the upper jaw around the atlantooccipital joint and the lower jaw around the mandibular joint; and in Uromastix only, streptostylic movement of the quadrate. Often movements of the whole head play a supplementary role in the cropping action. In both species the feeding apparatus has been modified to facilitate cropping. In Iguana the pleurodont dentition is multicusped and laterally compressed. Each tooth forms a shearing blade whose function does not require contact with other teeth. In Uromastix the dentition is acrodont and the cheek teeth are massive and lack cusps. Occlusion is necessary for shearing plant material. The skull system of Uromastix also has a number of modified structures which allow protraction and retraction of the lower jaw to facilitate cropping while maintaining a gape equivalent to that in Iguana. It is suggested that the differences in the feeding apparatus between Iguana and Uromastix are attributable to differeces in the mode of tooth replacement and implantation. : PMID: 1255734 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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