Skip to main content

Story: Dolphins

Fossilised teeth

Image
Fossilised teeth

The teeth of the shark-toothed dolphin were very different from those of modern dolphins, which are all simple conical teeth more suitable for grasping than for chewing. The teeth of this more ancient dolphin are strongly differentiated, with cone-shaped incisors at the front of the jaw and more complex teeth at the back.

Using this item

Geology Museum, University of Otago

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) is an infringement of copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Gerard Hutching, Dolphins – Ancient dolphins – the fossil record, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/4692/fossilised-teeth (accessed 16 June 2026).

Story by Gerard Hutching, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 September 2015.