Armadillos (meaning “little armored thing” in Spanish) have a large number of cheek teeth, which are not divided into premolars and molars, but incisors and/or canines.
In mammalian oral anatomy, canine teeth also known as cuspids or fangs are relatively long, sharp, pointed teeth that can sometimes appear more flattened and are used for firmly holding food in order to tear it apart. Canine teeth are also occasionally used as weapons.
Interestingly enough, armadillos have no enamel on their teeth (the hard outer covering of a tooth). Since the armadillo’s diet consists mainly of insects, these creatures are not really required to do a lot of heavy chewing. What they do have, however, are long sticky tongues that help them slurp up ants and other bugs as quickly as possible. They can often be found digging for bugs in the ground with their strong claws.
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