On Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:26:51 -0600, Bill Wilcox <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> I was trying to inject some humor with the fat / meat statement. 

Sorry, it went over my head.  Sometimes it's hard to catch the humor without a smiley. :-)

> I was  
> arguing that our teeth are not like other carnivores because they do not  
> need to be.  Other carnivores have huge incisors out of necessity.  We  
> have never needed them because we kill with our hands.

I wasn't talking just about the incisors, but about the whole way predator teeth are laid out.  Most predator teeth are sharp and pointy for tearing off hunks of meat (not just the incisors, but the whole set of teeth).  We do have sharp canines, but we also have flat teeth that are better suited for grinding and chewing.  (Granted, one can chew meat as well as plants, but most predatory animals don't seem to need to).

An interesting article along these lines:  http://www.beyondveg.com/billings-t/comp-anat/comp-anat-6a.shtml  (slightly different focus, but an interesting discussion of comparitive anatomy, including the teeth).

-- 
  Robert Kesterson
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