Dental Adaptations

Teeth are an excellent predictor of a primate’s primary diet. An animal needs to have teeth that are specially formulated for their most commonly eaten food. An animal that has teeth adapted to a different diet may find it difficult to eat, and may eventually die due to an inability to efficiently feed. While primates will often eat many different food items, many will have a primary diet type that will generally fall into one of three categories: insectivores (insects), folivores (leaves), and frugivores (fruit).

While all primates have canines, some have special canine adaptations. Some primates have a canine-premolar honing complex (CP3 complex) composed of a larger and sharper canine, a sectorial premolar and a noticeable diastema. These features sharpen both the upper canine and the lower first premolar when the primate chews. This is found in only some primates, most specifically those that tend to eat a diet that requires slicing or tearing. Canine size can also predict the social grouping for a primate, which will be discussed further in our next lab.