Turtles are born with a single tooth called an egg tooth, which helps them break out of their eggs. This tooth is temporary and usually falls off a few days after their birth. Instead, they have beaks just like birds. The ridges or beaks present in turtles goes down to their stomach; these pointy beaks help the turtles to eat and process their food. Otherwise, turtles don’t have teeth
at all. Turtles live their whole life without teeth.
They use their beaks to bite chunks of their food and eat it. Turtles do not need to chew their food too much so they just bite off small pieces so they can swallow without any effort.
Turtles have a keratin edge lining their jaws which is very hard and sometimes, serrated. These edges can be very sharp and making them look a little like a row of teeth. However, they are
not dental structures as are real teeth.
The ridges or beaks present in turtles goes down to their stomach; these pointy beaks help the turtles to eat and process their food. Otherwise, turtles don’t have teeth at all. Turtles live their whole life without teeth.
Turtles have ears but they lack the external ear structure. Their ears are internal and consist of specialized mechanisms that allow them to perceive sounds. They can hear but their hearing is not as sharp as other animals and they are more responsive to low to mid-range sounds.
One of our patient’s has a “grandturtle” named Princess. Princess is 63-years-old! Yes 63 years old! She is considered a sawtooth slider. Her neck slides straight back and does not turn.
That would put her in the classification of a Cryptodira. She typically hibernates from October to March and will only have water. When she does eat, she loves Spinach, Shrimp and Bananas. Princess has also attended many schools to teach the children about Turtles. You can see in the photos Princess also loves to sun bathe.
