Year 4 Science: Teeth in animals and what they eat
Part of the Year 4 Science teeth and the digestive system chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Teeth in animals and what they eat
Animals have teeth that suit the food they eat. A carnivore eats meat. A herbivore eats plants. An omnivore eats both plants and meat.
A carnivore, such as a lion, has sharp canines to tear meat. A herbivore, such as a cow, has flat molars to grind grass and plants. The table compares three animals.
| Animal | What it eats | Teeth that suit it |
|---|---|---|
| Lion | carnivore | sharp canines, to tear meat |
| Cow | herbivore | flat molars, to grind grass and plants |
| Human | omnivore | incisors, canines and molars, for a mixed diet |
Key ideas
- A carnivore eats meat, and has sharp canines to tear it.
- A herbivore eats plants, and has flat molars to grind them.
- An omnivore eats both plants and meat.
- The shape of the teeth matches the food an animal eats.
Method. Find the lion row.
- Read the lion row. The lion has sharp canines, to tear meat.sharp canines
- Name the teeth. So the lion uses its canines.Canines
- Write the answer. Canines
Check. Canines are pointed and tear food. ✓
Method. Find the cow row.
- Read the cow row. The cow has flat molars, to grind grass and plants.flat molars
- Name the teeth. So the cow uses its molars to grind the grass.Molars
- Write the answer. Molars
Check. Molars are large and flat, which suits grinding plants. ✓
Method. Find the omnivore in the table.
- Read the diet column. The human eats both plants and meat.omnivore
- Name the animal. So the omnivore in the table is the human.Human
- Write the answer. Human
Check. Humans have incisors, canines and molars for a mixed diet. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: the cow does not have sharp canines for tearing meat. Its flat molars are for grinding plants.
Try it at home or school (with a grown-up). Look at pictures of a dog and a cow in a book with a grown-up. Name what each animal eats, and say which teeth you think it uses most. Discuss your answer.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask: “What does this animal eat? Which teeth would help with that food?” Let your child match the teeth to the food, and explain the reason.
Exercise 5D Teeth in animals and what they eat
Method. Read the lion row in the table.
- Read the row. The lion has sharp canines, to tear meat.sharp canines
- Write the answer. canines
Check. Canines are sharp and pointed. ✓
Method. Read the cow row in the table.
- Read the row. The cow has flat molars, to grind grass and plants.flat molars
- Write the answer. molars
Check. Molars are flat for grinding. ✓
Method. Read the diet column.
- Read the diet column. The lion is the carnivore, because it eats meat.carnivore
- Write the answer. Lion
Check. A carnivore eats meat. ✓
Method. Read the diet column.
- Read the diet column. The human is the omnivore, because it eats plants and meat.omnivore
- Write the answer. Human
Check. An omnivore eats both plants and meat. ✓
Method. Read the diet column.
- Read the diet column. The cow is the herbivore, because it eats only plants.herbivore
- Write the answer. Cow
Check. A herbivore eats plants. ✓
Method. Read the teeth column.
- Read the teeth column. The cow has flat molars for grinding grass and plants.flat molars
- Write the answer. Cow
Check. Flat molars suit a plant diet. ✓
Method. Read the teeth column.
- Read the teeth column. The lion has sharp canines for tearing meat.sharp canines
- Write the answer. Lion
Check. Sharp canines suit a meat diet. ✓
Method. Read the key idea in section 5.4.
- Read the key idea. A carnivore eats meat.meat
- Write the answer. meat
Check. A herbivore eats plants. ✓
Method. Count the omnivore rows.
- Read the diet column. Lion is a carnivore, cow is a herbivore, and human is an omnivore.one omnivore
- Count them. There is one omnivore.1
- Write the answer. 1
Check. Only the human is an omnivore in the table. ✓
Method. Read the cow row in the table.
- Read the row. The cow has flat molars, to grind grass and plants.flat molars
- Decide. So a cow does not have sharp canines for tearing meat. Ruby is not right.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. The teeth match the food the cow eats. ✓
Method. Think about what the rabbit eats.
- Think about the food. A rabbit that eats grass is a herbivore.herbivore
- Write the prediction. A herbivore has flat molars to grind plants.flat molars
- Write the answer. Accept any prediction with a reason, such as: flat molars, because a rabbit grinds grass.
Check. Check your prediction in a book with a grown-up. ✓
Method. Think about what a cow eats.
- Think about the food. A cow eats grass and plants, not meat.grass
- Write the reason. Flat molars are the right teeth for grinding plants, so sharp canines are not needed.not needed
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says a cow eats plants, which its flat molars grind, so it does not need sharp canines.
Check. Teeth match food. ✓