Birds have egg teeth when they hatch.
An egg tooth is a hard, often pointed bump found on the snout of many babies who hatch from eggs. This helps the babies escape from the egg when the time comes, but these are not real teeth. Unlike real teeth, oval teeth usually disappear shortly after birth. Birds and reptiles are two types of baby animals that have egg teeth at birth.
Most animals that lay eggs develop these types of teeth while inside the egg. An egg tooth can usually be found in an animal’s nose or beak. Although it is tooth-like and quite hard, it is not a real tooth. Instead of being made of bone, an egg tooth is usually made of a lump of hardened skin.
As the baby grows, it becomes much more difficult for the animal to get the oxygen it needs. After weeks or months in an egg, a chick should be able to hatch quickly. This can be very difficult to do, as many eggs have a hard or tough exterior. The egg tooth is then used as a tool to help break this shell.
Birds develop an egg tooth while inside an egg. Along with this tooth, the finch also has a special muscle located at the back of its neck. This is commonly known as muscle pipping.
As the pup grows older and begins to have trouble getting oxygen, it will begin to use these special anatomical parts to escape its shell. First, he will use the egg tooth, located at the tip of his beak, to poke a hole in the air sac inside the egg. This will give the pup more oxygen so he can start pecking through the hard exterior of the shell. The egg tooth usually falls out within a few months.
Reptiles also often develop these teeth while they are inside their eggs. A reptile egg tooth is usually found in the animal’s snout. Snakes, for example, use these teeth to cut through their leathery shells. After the first fall of the snake, the tooth disappears.
A crocodile also develops an egg tooth before hatching from an egg. Crocodile eggs differ from most reptile eggs in that they are not leathery. Instead, they have a rigid exterior, like a bird’s egg. A few months after a crocodile hatches, this tough patch of skin disappears.