Do birds have teeth?

Most living things have teeth for chewing and grinding food. As it turns out, this organ isn't exactly alien to birds either.

Cretaceous toothed birds

Many million years ago, in the Cretaceous period, terrible birds flew through the sky. In their beaks were real enamel and dentin teeth. Among them was the most primitive bird in the world - Archaeopteryx. Scientists believe that ancestors of all modern birds can be dinosaurs-theropods moving on two legs.

In the process of evolution, feathered steel did not need teeth, thanks to the special structure of the beak. However, the animals have not got rid of this tool completely: birds have a temporary tooth.

An egg hump, which is the name of the only temporary tooth in chicks, helps them hatch from the egg. After the bird hits the shell and sees the white light, the egg hump falls off.

There's no enamel or dentin in their composition. Such a device is necessary for birds to be able to hold food in their beaks and then grind it.

Modern birds have a wonderful device instead of teeth - a bone beak. The birds do not have to tear off and chew food like other animals, they just shred it with their beak and then swallow it. Also, the teeth have considerable weight, which could prevent the animal from flying...

So over time, the birds have lost an unnecessary organ. Today there is not a single bird with real teeth in the world!