"What animal has the most teeth in the world?" This is a fun riddle children often play, but it's also a scientifically accurate question. The animal world is full of strange, mysterious, and even amazing creatures, whose shapes and characteristics always pique our curiosity. Whether it's the strongest, the largest, the smallest, or the fastest, little-known facts about these animals are always fascinating. So, which animal has the most teeth? Let's find out.
Further Reading: The Slowest Animal in the World
Which animal has the most teeth?
From a scientific perspective, the animal with the most teeth is actually a type of fish—the catfish (pez gato) . This fish has a dense array of teeth all over its body, totaling up to 9,280 teeth .
The name "catfish" comes from the barbels around its mouth, which resemble a cat's whiskers. In fact, catfish are not a single species, but a large family with over 200 species worldwide, most of which live in freshwater environments.
Although catfish teeth are small, they are arranged in layers of overlapping teeth, making them highly efficient. They are primarily used for hunting:
Small invertebrates
Fish and tadpoles
It even occasionally preys on small mammals.
In addition, catfish have sharp, hard spines on their pectoral and dorsal fins for defense against predators. Some species even possess the ability to release electric currents for hunting or self-defense.
However, this "world record" is not without controversy. Because if we include another type of "teeth" in the statistics, its number far exceeds that of catfish—that is, snails .
Snails: Hidden "Kings of Teeth"
Snails' teeth are not as hard as those of mammals or reptiles, but they still serve a function of chewing and grinding. Inside a snail's mouth is a special structure called the radula , which resembles a "scraper" and is densely covered with thousands of tiny teeth.
These teeth are used to scrape the surfaces of plants, fungi, or organic matter. Although they are extremely difficult to see with the naked eye, their number is astonishing: up to 25,000 . If you count them as "teeth," then snails are undoubtedly the world's champions in teeth.
The land animal with the most teeth
Compared to fish or invertebrates, mammals typically have fewer teeth . However, "fewer" does not mean "useless." On the contrary, mammalian teeth are diverse in type, adapted to different dietary needs:
Incisors : used for cutting food.
Canines : used for tearing prey or for defense.
Molars and premolars : used for crushing and grinding plants or bones.
Among land animals, the mammal with the most teeth is the giant armadillo (Priodontes giganteus) . It has approximately 100 teeth, far more than any other mammal.
Giant armadillos live in South America, distributed in Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Guatemala. Due to habitat loss and hunting, their population has declined significantly in recent decades and they are considered endangered.
Riddle answer: Which "animal" has the most teeth?
If you're looking for the answer as if it were a riddle, you might hear a whimsical answer: Ratoncito Pérez the mouse .
This fairytale character, originating from Spanish culture, specializes in taking away children's baby teeth when they fall out, leaving a small gift under their pillow. Considering how many children around the world lose teeth every day, the number of teeth "collected" by the little mouse Pérez is probably the most!
Summarize
From a scientific perspective :
Catfish → 9,280 teeth
Snail (radula) → Up to 25,000 tiny teeth (if included, it would be the champion)
Land mammals :
Giant armadillo → Approximately 100 teeth
Fun riddles :
Perez the mouse → a symbol of "having the most teeth".
This is not only a fun trivia question, but also a demonstration of the amazing diversity of the animal world.
