Chapter Four: Teeth Everywhere

Until I read Chapter 4, I didn't expect to learn a lot about an animal by looking at its teeth. For instance, I recognized carnivores use their blade-like molars to cut meat whereas herbivores have flat teeth to feed on leaves. We humans on the other hand have several kinds of teeth which reveals that we are all-purpose eaters. I was amazed to discover that our teeth is the hardest part of our bodies for I've always believed our bones were the hardest. Moreover, before I encountered this chapter, I thought every living creature including humans merely chew however they want and differently in each bite. But this wasn't the case: there is a precision in which we chew. Again, I found Shubin very inspirational as he was earnestly determined to find a bone along with Chuck who, in contrast always had several bags of bones. He also continued to persist when he didn't find any fossil at Connecticut, and eventually found something grand, which made me admire him even more.