Originally Posted by GenkiSudo
Yes we have canine teeth... However they're pretty small and undeveloped, we have bigger and more developed incisor teeth (much more protuberant than the actual canines) and our molars are definitely not meant to chew raw meat, just like our canines suck when it comes to tearing out the raw flesh.
In short... Our dentition can be seen as versatile. But its certainly intended more towards the vegetables than for raw meat. Just compare our canines to the other great apes!
And just like we see on the food pyramid, meat and fish are simply complementary. Not imperative.
ps: i'm not vegetarian. I'm saying this out of a simple unbiased opinion.
The only reason that we have small canine teeth is not because we are meant to be vegetarians but simply are bodies have adapted to eating 1. Cooked meat and 2. Meat does not have to be torn anymore thanks to the invention of the knife and fork.
Originally Posted by footside
2. Meat does not have to be torn anymore thanks to the invention of the knife and fork.
Very good point as well. We started to become more civilised instead of being a crazy flesh ripping creature.
I think that we have canines, molars, and incisors, simply because we are designed to eat a variety of food; not just meat, and not just vegetables or fruits etc. We are designed to, and need to, eat a balanced diet, as can be seen and that there food pyramid.
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Originally Posted by footside
The only reason that we have small canine teeth is not because we are meant to be vegetarians but simply are bodies have adapted to eating 1. Cooked meat and 2. Meat does not have to be torn anymore thanks to the invention of the knife and fork.
Actually, the reason is more inclined to our hands. Unlike dogs, cats, and platypussies, our hands have the ability to grasp things, which allows us to avoid using our teeth for ripping and using our hands instead. This is implied by the fact that our canine teeth were small thousands of years before the invention of eating utensils.
Also, we can still tear things off with our teeth, just not quite as well as a wolf.
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Originally Posted by jaredvcxz
Actually, the reason is more inclined to our hands. Unlike dogs, cats, and platypussies, our hands have the ability to grasp things, which allows us to avoid using our teeth for ripping and using our hands instead. This is implied by the fact that our canine teeth were small thousands of years before the invention of eating utensils.
Also, we can still tear things off with our teeth, just not quite as well as a wolf.
You made a good point there... In fact, only our very primitive ancestors display bigger canines. We've been losing them ever since, even before the discovery on how to use and control fire to cook, or the use of tools to make tasks easier.
This is the skull of Lucy, it doesn't look like it has many canine-type of teeth to me...
"Cranial specimens
The cranial evidence recovered from Lucy is far less derived than her postcranium. Her neurocranium is small and primitive, while she possesses more spatulate canines than apes. The cranial capacity was about 375 to 500 cc."
"There is enough on earth for everybody's need, but not for everyone's greed." - Mohandas Gandhi
