DK - WOW! The Visual Encyclopedia of Everything

58

FROG ▶

The skull of a frog is broad,

providing plenty of room for

its large eyes and giving it an

extremely wide mouth. This

allows it to swallow its prey

whole, so it does not need a

set of teeth for chewing.

Broad skull houses

big sensitive ears

and huge eyes

Gannet

Merganser

Tawny owl

Bony jaws support

the bird’s horny,

lightweight bill

Mallard

Hamster

Frog

Deep ridge on back

of skull anchors

Muscles

attached to jaw

Lion

◀ LION

Like all cats, the lion is a dedicated

hunter. It has short, powerful jaws with

huge stabbing canine teeth at the front,

and meat-slicing carnassials at the back.

CROCODILE ▲

One of the closest living relatives of

the dinosaurs, crocodiles have long

jaws studded with many sharp-pointed

teeth for seizing their prey. The fish-

eating gharial of Indian rivers may

have more than 100 teeth.

Long bill of a

curlew allows

it to probe

deeply into

soft mud to

catch worms

PARROT ▶

All birds have thin, light skulls, which

makes flying easier. Their beaks or

bills are much lighter than toothed

jaws. They are not built for chewing,

yet the bills of some parrots are

strong enough to crack nuts.

Thin cranium is just

strong enough to

protect the brain

Collie

dog

Curlew

Gharial^ crocodi

le

Armadillo

Badger

Hedgeho

g

Black

bird

Am

azo

n^ pa

rrot

Crocodile teeth are all

the same shape, and

can be replaced by new

ones more than once

Rabbit

058_059_Skulls.indd 58 14/03/19 9:54 AM