Do Turtles Have Teeth? (No! But…)

Turtles munching on plants is common, which is also the reason people believe turtles have teeth. The popular videos of snapping turtles also give this feeling that turtles have teeth to bite on things or chew their food. 

But do turtles have teeth? No, turtles don’t have teeth. But there are more things related to their structure. Baby turtles have something called an egg tooth. Adult turtles have beaks of different shapes and types depending on their diet patterns.

I will discuss the myth of turtles having teeth and explain how turtles live without teeth. You will also learn how turtles eat different foods with their beaks. Let’s get into it.

Do Turtles Have Teeth?

If you look closely at the mouth of a turtle, you will see some teeth-like parts. These parts of a turtle aren’t actually teeth. Instead, these are a part of their beaks. Yes, turtles have beaks like birds do. With these strong beaks, turtles can bite on and chew many different foods.

The jaws and beaks of turtles are very powerful. So, turtle bites may be strong and painful. Depending on the species, turtles can have serrated ridges on their beaks. These ridges are made of keratin and are very sturdy. These parts resemble the shape of teeth, but they aren’t actually teeth.

So, I can conclude turtles don’t have teeth. Still, there are many interesting things about their mouth and beaks. Let me tell you a bit more about that.

How Do Turtles Eat?

Turtles’ diets can contain a lot of different foods, including fish, meat, plants, insects, etc. Different turtles have different beak structures to eat properly. Here is a quick overview of that.

Carnivorous Turtles

Meat is the main item in the diet of carnivorous turtles. These are mostly sea turtles that feed on other small animals. If you look at a carnivorous turtle closely, you will see a hooked beak. The middle of the beak is pointy and hooked, like a bald eagle.

Even though the hook isn’t that prominent on a carnivorous turtle, the hook is certainly visible. With this hook, turtles can easily kill their prey. They also use this hook to crush their prey and tear their flesh apart. These turtles also have sharp and ridged jawlines that help in eating meat.

For example, musk turtles use their hooks in this way. They are freshwater turtles, but mostly, sea turtles are carnivorous. Some good examples can be loggerhead turtles or green sea turtles.

Herbivorous Turtles

These turtles live on plants and vegetation. So, they don’t need pointy or hooked beaks. Instead, they have highly powerful beaks that can crush plants and vegetables. So you won’t see any hooked beaks in them. Instead, they have shorter beaks with serrated edges.

The tiny serrations on their jaws are used like serrated knives we use to cut bread or cakes. Herbivorous turtle species use these serrated edges to cut plants or vegetables down and crush them with their short but powerful beaks.

Adult green sea turtles are herbivorous and they commonly live on marine plants, algae, etc.

Omnivorous Turtles

Freshwater turtles are mostly omnivorous. They depend on plants and animals for feeding. As you might already assume, they need a combination of strong, serrated jaws and pointy beaks. If you observe painted turtles or map turtles, you will find their hooked beaks.

At the same time, they have serrated jawlines to eat vegetables and plants. You should remember that their beaks aren’t as pointy as carnivores. It is slightly pointy to help them eat meat. But as their most common diet is plants, their serrated beaks are very strong.

Painted turtles, spotted turtles, flatback turtles, olive ridley turtles, etc., are omnivorous turtles.

What About the Teeth of Baby Turtles?

This might sound weird, but yes, baby turtles have teeth. In fact, baby turtles have only one tooth. The tooth is called an egg tooth. It is a temporary part of their bodies. Let me tell you why they have this.

As you might already know, turtles go away after laying eggs. The eggs hatch on their own, and baby turtles get ready to break into the world. During this period, a sharp tooth-like organ develops among the baby turtles. They use this sharp and pointy tooth to break the eggshells.

After coming out of the eggshell, the egg tooth of baby turtles may remain for a few days. The tooth will automatically fall off after a few days. So, this can’t be called turtle teeth.

I have a video of a baby turtle with its egg tooth. Check it out:

Do Turtles Bite? How Strong Are Their Bites?

Turtles can bite, and their bites are painful. It depends on the species and diet pattern of the turtles. If a turtle is carnivorous, it can bite you intentionally. I can mention common snapping turtles and alligator snapping turtles here. These turtles are huge compared to regular turtle species.

So they have bigger and stronger beaks. If they get a chance, they will bite your fingers or toes. All turtles may not be highly aggressive to bite you, especially turtles that are herbivorous.

They may approach you using their legs and put in some soft bites. Yes, you read it right. Turtles have legs with varying numbers of toes.

Turtles usually bite on something to test if they can eat it. If you are hand-feeding turtles, they can bite on your finger intentionally or accidentally. The bite force of large turtles, like common snapping turtles, can be up to 1,000 psi.

Under this much pressure, your fingers might snap off. Smaller turtles have a much lower bite force, but that is enough to put a scar on your fingers. So, you should always handle turtles with care, even if they don’t have teeth.

Turtle Teeth Facts You Didn’t Know

Here are some fun facts that you may not know about turtle teeth. 

1. All reptiles in the world have teeth except turtles.
2. Some turtles can use their hooked beaks to crush the hard shells of other animals, such as crabs.
3. Alligator snapping turtles don’t prefer to bite humans. When they feel threatened, they will usually retreat.
4. Florida softshell turtles don’t have strong beaks like other turtle species. Instead, they have soft lips.

FAQs

Check answers to some commonly asked questions about turtle teeth.

Q: Did toothed turtles ever exist?

Though turtles don’t have teeth, researchers found some turtle teeth fossils from about 200 million years ago. These are fossils of a species called Odontochelys. They are also called toothed turtles.

Q: Do sea turtles have teeth in their throat?

Some sea turtles, like leatherback sea turtles, have spikes in their mouth and throat. But these aren’t actually their teeth. Instead, they use these spikes as protection while eating jellyfish.

Conclusion

The small, serrated jaw lines of turtles often look like teeth. This leads to a misconception that turtles have teeth. But turtles don’t have teeth for real. I explained the teeth structure of turtles to prove that they have no teeth.

What they have are strong beaks and jaws. Some turtles have pointy beaks, while others have serrated ridges on jawlines. And some turtles can have both of them, depending on their diet patterns. With these beaks and serrated jaws, they can eat meat, plants, and other items.