If you have ever been up and personal with a cow, you might have noticed something very interesting about their mouth, in particular, their teeth. Cows are one of the few land mammals that do not have a top row of teeth. Yep, cows only have bottom teeth.

Why do Cows only have bottom teeth

The main reason that cows only have bottom teeth is because they are herbivores. This means they do not eat meat and only eat plants. Instead of having a top row of teeth, there is a hard flat surface that is called a “dental pad.” Through thousands of years of evolution, cows were left with only a bottom row of teeth and a dental pad because a top row is actually not needed when you only eat grass and plants.

How do cows eat if they only have bottom teeth?

When the cow sees a plant they want to eat, they bend over and reach their mouth toward the plant. Then, using their tongue, they pull the plant inside their mouth. Since the tongue is in charge of pulling in the plants, a cows tongue is very rough and sticky. Once inside, the cow smashes the plants between their bottom teeth and the dental pad. Since their bottom teeth are smashing against the top dental pad, their bottom teeth are dull and not sharp so that they don’t cut into the dental pad. As the plant reaches the back of the cow’s mouth, they use their molars (which they have on the top and bottom) to finish chewing up the plant. This is not a fast process, and most cows spend around 8 hours a day just chewing on food. Since plants are high in fiber, it is important that the cows chews it down enough so that its intestines can digest it.

How many teeth do cows have?

On the bottom, cows have a total of 32 teeth. In the back of their mouth they also have 12 molars (six on the bottom and six on top). Since the molars are used to grind up the remaining plants, they are much sharper than the front bottom teeth.

Can you tell the age of a cow by its teeth?

While you can usually tell the age of a mammal based on its teeth, this is not the case for cows. This is because the condition of a cows teeth is highly dependent on the type of plants that it has been consuming. If the plants are hard and rough, then the teeth will be more worn down. On the other side, if the cow is consuming soft plants, the teeth will not wear down as fast.

Can a cow bite you?

Since cows only have a row of teeth on the bottom, it is nearly impossible for them to bite you. This is why it is very easy to hand feed a cow. The only thing they can do to you is nibble on you, but this is usually a slow process and you can quickly remove your hand before there is any serious damage.