Top 5 Facts about sea creature’s teeth & tails

The ocean is filled with lots of weird and wonderful creatures, many of which have even more unique teeth and tails. Here are some top 5 facts to get your teeth into:

1. No teeth, no problems!

Penguins, like most birds, have no teeth – however as a chick they have a sharp bump on their beak called an ‘egg tooth’. They use this to help crack open the egg when hatching.

2. Look at that tail!

Dugongs and manatees are often mistaken for one another. However, there is an easy way to tell them apart. Dugong tails are fluke-shaped, just like a whale or mermaid. If you look at a manatee tail, it is more like a paddle.

3. Chomp chomp chomp

Sea urchins have pointy spines, but this isn’t the only sharp part of their body! Urchins use their razorlike teeth to bore through rock, chomp on corals or even a starfish!

4. Seahorses can hold on tight!

Seahorses have very flexible tails! They use these tails to hold on to vegetation like seaweed or seagrass to anchor themselves. Seahorses aren’t the strongest swimmers, so this helps them stay in one place and feed.

5. Moray eels ahead – watch out!

Moray eels have an extendable jaw or a ‘pharyngeal jaw’ and sharp teeth. They use these tools to firmly grip and trap their prey so they can’t swim away.

Don't miss the chance to discover more about the teeth & tails of the sea this month at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium!