Question

Space in the jaw bone unoccupied by the teeth is called as the
A. Dentine
B. Diastema
C. Enamel
D. Crown

Answer 1

According to the diet consumed, animals are equipped with teeth that are suited for their diet. Omnivores, herbivores, and carnivores may have some overlap in the size and shape of teeth. But looking at all of the teeth in the jaw of these animals will give us a good idea of the food types they rely on.

Complete answer:
All animals have teeth that are adapted to their diet. Since, herbivores are plant eaters; they have non-existent or small canine teeth and flat and strong molars (made for grinding leaves). Carnivores are meat eaters; hence their canine teeth are much defined for tearing at meat, sometimes combined with a limited number of molars. Omnivores have sharp front teeth and molars for grinding, because they eat both plants and meat.
Herbivores have highly specialized teeth for eating plants. Because plants are difficult to break down, the molars of herbivores are flatter and wider, designed to grind food, and aid digestion. Incisors of herbivore are sharp for tearing plants, but they may not be present on both the lower and upper jaw. White tail deer is an example of an herbivore that has only a rigid upper jaw and lower incisors that helps in the tearing of plants. Many animals, such as horses and cows are capable of moving their jaws sideways.
Diastema is a gap in herbivores which separates the biting teeth from the grinding teeth. It creates a space where the food can be held for the grinding action of the teeth. This space is filled by large canine teeth in carnivores.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: Carnivores have a set of teeth that are different from herbivores. A carnivore uses its teeth to kill the prey item before eating it. Their pointed canine teeth and sharp incisors are perfectly designed for both incapacitating and eating a meal. A canine tooth is the pointed, longer tooth located on either side of the incisors. They have less number of molars than other animals, mainly because so much of the work is done by the teeth present in the front of the mouth.