Carnivore, herbivore and omnivore teeth (non-statutory)
I can compare the teeth of carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.
Carnivore, herbivore and omnivore teeth (non-statutory)
I can compare the teeth of carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Different animals have different types of teeth dependent on the types of food they eat.
- Most omnivores have both flat bumpy teeth and sharp pointed teeth.
- Most carnivores have hard, sharp, pointed teeth to bite, rip and tear their food.
- Most herbivores have large, wide, bumpy teeth to chew and grind their food.
- Scientists make observations to compare animals' teeth and understand what diet an animal may have.
Keywords
Diet - A diet is the variety of food animals or people eat regularly.
Omnivore - An omnivore is an animal that eats both plants and other animals.
Carnivore - A carnivore is an animal that eats mostly animals.
Herbivore - A herbivore is an animal that eats mostly plants.
Compare - We compare things by looking at what is the same and what is different.
Common misconception
Some children may think that all animals' teeth are the same. They may also think that all herbivores only have molars, and all carnivores only have canines and incisors.
By showing images of the teeth of carnivores and herbivores, children will see how animals have different types of teeth, depending on their diet.
Equipment
Images of teeth and skulls from the slide deck or worksheet pre-cut to enable sorting and grouping.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does a carnivore eat?
Q2.What does a herbivore eat?
Q3.An is an animal that eats both plants and other animals.
Q4.Match the animal to the type of food it might eat.
eats bamboo shoots.
eats worms and berries.
eats fish.
Q5.Which skill do scientists use when they observe features of things and then put them into groups?
Q6.Match the teeth to their function.
bite and cut food.
grind up and chew food.
tear and rip food.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The types of food that an animal eats is called its ...
Q2.Match the animals to their teeth to complete the sentences.
mostly have sharp pointed teeth to bite and rip their food.
mostly have wide, flat and bumpy teeth to chew and grind their food.
have sharp teeth to bite and rip and bumpy flat teeth to grind food.
Q3.Look at the image of this animal's teeth to decide what it eats then choose which type of animal it is.
Q4.Look at the image of this animal's teeth to decide what it eats then choose which type of animal it is.
