Whether you’re talking about sharks, crocodiles, lions, or even velociraptors, some of the most fearsome traits of these predators involve their rows of sharp, crushing, or jagged teeth.
Only vertebrate animals have real teeth, though some invertebrates have hard tooth-like plates they use to eat. One of the earliest creatures with teeth were conodonts, an eel-like creature that first appeared around 500 million years ago. These creatures also have the record for the sharpest teeth, according to the Guinness World Records.
Since then, vertebrates have done a lot with teeth — in the case of birds, they have even lost them. Other vertebrates have evolved teeth in ways that are truly unique, whether in terms of size, quantity, or just sheer oddity.
Here is a look at some of the creatures with the craziest teeth on the planet.
