Oral Cavity
What That Mouth Do
Procedure
With a pair of heavy scissors or bone cutters, cut the muscles, skin and mandible at the angle of the mouth on both sides and depress the lower jaw with your fingers. Locate the following structures: large incisor teeth, molar teeth, the tongue, and the bony roof of the mouth or hard palate (Figure 3). The palate separates the nasal and oral cavities. Unlike carnivorous mammals (and yourself) whose teeth stop growing shortly after they emerge, the teeth of many herbivorous mammals (including rat) continue to grow throughout life. Note that the rat does not have canines and premolars.
With a pair of heavy scissors or bone cutters, cut the muscles, skin and mandible at the angle of the mouth on both sides and depress the lower jaw with your fingers. Locate the following structures: large incisor teeth, molar teeth, the tongue, and the bony roof of the mouth or hard palate (Figure 3). The palate separates the nasal and oral cavities. Unlike carnivorous mammals (and yourself) whose teeth stop growing shortly after they emerge, the teeth of many herbivorous mammals (including rat) continue to grow throughout life. Note that the rat does not have canines and premolars.