In contrast, the honey possum has flew teeth which, with the exception of the lower incisors, are reduced to peg-like structures (Richardson et al.
These teeth are specially designed for breaking through tough skin and bones. Unlike American opossums, the Australian possums aren’t only comparatively smaller they have got fewer teeth.
Fun Facts for Kids. At the same time, their tongue has become incredibly proficient at licking out all the great tasting, gooey nectar. Try Prime All Go Search EN Hello, Sign in Account & Lists Sign in Account & Lists Orders Try Prime Cart. The incisors and canines are pointed but the cheek teeth are flattened pegs with rounded tips and do not resemble the normal structure of mammalian teeth.
The purpose for the honey possum dentition is very different. July 1, 2020. This forms a keel-like structure, purposed to support the tongue as it moves in and out of the mouth (7). Several features of the honey possum are correlated with this diet. Finding a constant source of food as pollen and nectar has resulted, over the ages, in the honey possum slowly losing its teeth, so that today, they are just a few tiny pegs. July 1, 2020. At the same time, their tongue has become incredibly proficient at licking out all the great tasting, gooey nectar.
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When the ancestors of the honey possum arrived, most probably from South America more than 50 million years ago, they found a land of sweet nectar. The Honey Possum is still evolving as they have slowly lost their teeth over the years to to the point where they only have a few small bumps in their mouth.
It has only eleven teeth on each side of its mouth. • The head is sharply tapered, delicately constructed and has only a few, minute teeth. The teeth of honey possums are few and underdeveloped—little more than short pegs incapable of biting or chewing.
Moreover, these animals are only distantly related to possums. The honey possum is a nectar and honey specialist, and unlike its close relatives it almost never eats insects. Personally, I find it interesting that the Honey Possum is still evolving as they have slowly lost their teeth over the years to to the point where they only have a few small bumps in their mouth.
In fact, they feed more or less exclusively on pollen and nectar, a diet that makes them highly unusual among mammals other than bats. Remote interviews: How to make an impression in a remote setting; June 30, 2020. Virginia opossum has probably got the maximum number of teeth of any North American mammal.
Most possums and gliders digest plant material by microbial fermentation in the caecum and colon and have a simple stomach. Their teeth, which are stubby and short, are not used to chew or bite. They feed upon the nectar and pollen from the flowers of plants such as myrtles (MER-tuhlz), proteas (PRO-tee-ahz), and banksias (BANK-see-ahz) that grow on the coast of southwestern Australia.
Skip to main content. Despite their common name, honey possums rarely eat honey.