What dental adaptation allows vicunas to graze on abrasive, short vegetation?
Answer
Continuously growing lower incisor teeth
The vicuña features a unique dental adaptation where the lower incisor teeth grow continuously throughout the animal's life. This trait is similar to the dental patterns found in rodents and is an evolutionary necessity for this species. Because they frequently crop very short, tough, and abrasive vegetation close to the ground, standard teeth would quickly wear down to unusable stumps without this constant replenishment system.
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