Original paper
Bending-resistant enameloid in carnivorous teleosts
Reif, W.-E.
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen Band 157 Heft 1-2 (1978), p. 173 - 175
4 references
published: Dec 11, 1978
DOI: 10.1127/njgpa/157/1978/173
ArtNo. ESP155015701026, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
Simple conical teeth of bony fishes serve as fangs for catching prey. They are not subject to very high bending or shearing stresses and the dentine which makes up most of the teeth gives them sufficient elasticity. A11 these teeth have a cap of tangled-fibred enameloid (= enamellike tissue), which has a high compression strength but a very low bending strength (Preuschoft, Reif & Müller, 1974). It is not surprising that this tangled-fibred enameloid also occurs in all flat crushing teeth of fossil and recent actinopterygians (Ørvig, 1973 and oral comm.; Reif, in preparation). It is quite remarkable that there are only two Recent teleost families which have teeth for slicing flesh instead of catching or grasping prey. These are the Characidae (piranha, Serrasalmus, and related genera) and the Sphyrnidae (barracuda and related genera).
Keywords
teeth • bony fishes • enamellike tissue