It’s EleFACT Friday, and today we’re talking about teeth!
Elephants differ from many other species of animals in the fact that they don’t have real tooth sockets. As molars are formed and worn down over time, the tooth itself passes through the jaw from back to front, in a conveyor belt fashion. When the teeth wear down, sections fall off in wafers, piece by piece. There are only four molars in use in an elephant’s mouth at any one time, but an elephant may go through six sets of molars in their lifetime. The final set typically erupts when the animal is in its early forties and must last for the rest of its life. Manatees and kangaroos also have teeth that move forward in this way. In our history with elephants, we have worked with two that had entire teeth fall out shortly after their arrival to sanctuary. This is a sign of improper tooth wear that occurred over decades.
Photo is of Maia, who is hiding her teeth behind her sweet smile.
Comments(25) 
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Kelejan says
March 12, 2021 at 1:43 pmCan you tell how many sets left for each of our elephants? I always thought each set fell out complete, as I did not know it was a steady conveyor belt fashion.
Love your Friday educationals.
sara says
March 12, 2021 at 6:32 pmThere is no way to know. They don’t fall out all at once, but rather when they wear out. We’re so glad that you are as excited about elephant facts as we are!
Bill says
March 12, 2021 at 1:49 pmI really enjoy these interesting elephant facts.
Mary Ann Hunt says
March 12, 2021 at 2:04 pmThis is fascinating. Thanks for all the info!
Debbie Sides says
March 12, 2021 at 2:19 pmLove Maia’s cheeky grin
SHEILA says
March 12, 2021 at 2:27 pmOH MAIA!?U CUTE BIG GAL?! HOPE U R ENJOYING UR DAY!
MAIA MAYBE YOU WILL HAVE A NICE SWIM TODAY OR MEETUP WITH RANA! BAMBI AND MARA!HAVE A GREAT DAY MZ SMILIE??‼️ HOPE YOU STILL HAVE YOUR LAST SET OF MOLARS INTACT BECAUSE YOU R VERY YOUNG YET?
Barb says
March 12, 2021 at 3:05 pmTeeth! What a good EleFact topic! Always enjoy learning more about elephants and hearing news about our girls at ESB.
Nancy Shaw says
March 12, 2021 at 3:25 pmIT IS SWEET !!
Cintia Abney says
March 12, 2021 at 3:47 pmIf they lose it prematurely, does it impact their feeding, their chewing and consequently their nutritional intake?
sara says
March 12, 2021 at 6:29 pmIt’s possible that it could, though we’ve never worked with an animal who has lost all of their teeth. Captive animals don’t spend 20 hours a day chewing, so there is not enough wear to cause them to fall out. If that did happen, we would definitely make sure they had an easy to eat diet and some supplements.
Alana says
March 12, 2021 at 4:18 pmThat’s interesting! Do the elephants who have lost their molars still have no problem eating? or do you give them a special diet? I really like EleFACT Fridays!
sara says
March 12, 2021 at 6:30 pmLots of people have this same question! But, we’ve never seen that happen. It’s not a real problem with captive elephants.
Julie says
March 12, 2021 at 4:44 pmOh boy, that just makes me want to hear more. What happens after their final set falls out? Sweet pic of Maia!
sara says
March 12, 2021 at 6:28 pmMost elephants who have lived in captivity don’t go through all sets of their teeth because they don’t spend all day chewing. So, luckily we have never had an elephant with that problem.
Wim says
March 12, 2021 at 5:10 pmInteresting dental story. How do they eat when losing all their teeth. Must be horrible for them and cause some anxiety?
Love your EleFact columns.
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sara says
March 12, 2021 at 6:26 pmWe’ve never had an elephant who has lost all of their teeth – but if we ever do, we will definitely take good care of them.
Beji says
March 12, 2021 at 5:12 pmVery pretty girl!
Sue says
March 12, 2021 at 8:55 pmLove this post and learning new things about our Ele’s!!! Endlessly fascinating! Thank you! ❤️?❤️
Sabine says
March 12, 2021 at 10:48 pmWhat interesting facts you’re sharing!
Sallie says
March 13, 2021 at 2:49 amHOLY MOLY! ELEPHANTS ARE INCREDIBLY AMAZING! I NEVER GO TO BED WITHOUT READING “EleFACT FRIDAYs”. AMAZEBALLS!
Maureen Allen says
March 13, 2021 at 9:02 amThank you for taking time to help us understand the ellies we love! Do let us know if the Sanctuary ever accepts a limited number of volunteers for two weeks of work on the more mundane aspects of maintaining this paradise.
Kat Blais says
March 13, 2021 at 1:18 pmWe hope to someday, housing is an issue, but so is available time. But we can’t complain since elephant rescues are what keeps us most busy right now. 😉
Katie Howard says
March 13, 2021 at 11:49 amElephants are so amazing! Their teeth – well, this is just further proof that elephants are more highly evolved beings than humans! ?
Keep the elephant facts coming please! These are fascinating! Also, Ms Maia is looking particularly fuzzy in her portrait today ?
Julia Mercedes Eden says
September 29, 2022 at 10:54 amIt’s fascinating to be given such wonderful information about elephants 🐘 primarily – many thanks. If they have no teeth does it hurt their gums or are they so strong that it doesn’t ? 🙏🐘❤️
Sara says
September 29, 2022 at 11:10 amThey have molars in the back of their mouths that allow them to crush things like watermelons.
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EleFact Friday: Molars in Motion