Look Ma No Cavities! Shanghai Zoo Hippos Get A Toothbrush
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The hippos at the Shanghai Zoo in China will no longer have any reason to fear a visit from the dentist. That's because the zoo officials have finally built a special four-foot long toothbrush to take care of their pearly whites.
While wild hippos do not need their teeth cleaned because their diet comprises primarily of grass, at the zoo they are fed many different fruits and vegetables, which tend to get stuck inside their teeth and hence require regular cleaning.
The zoo, which encourages the public to watch the teeth cleaning, had hitherto been using brooms to clean out the hippo's ginormous 4 ft-deep mouths that contain a pair of large incisors on each jaw and a row of curved lower canine teeth, which can grow up to three feet and are a coveted source of ivory. No word on whether the hippos use toothpaste or mouthwash though!
sources: telegraph.co.uk, latestchina.com
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118 Comments
- nicolealmost 14 yearshes so cute i wish he was my pet
- niaabout 14 yearsOh no I aint doing that. On animal planet they these vicous animals and they not used to a tooth brush so I'm not going to try to see if they might like it. They need it though. I learned that it keeps the teth clean and healthy.
- Shamiyahabout 14 yearsOmg! the hippoes mouth is crazy! No teeth at all! But, the zoo officials are smart to make a 4 foot long toothbrus for the zoo animals.
- delainyabout 14 yearsthis article is a very interesting article.It is about hippos who need to brush their teeth to keep them clean and healthy.They need to brush their teeth, so they wont get cavities.
- SaySayabout 14 yearsThis thing is huge it look like it has CAVITIES!!!!
- i @#%^*()_+=1``~/?><about 14 yearsdogo news rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- pokebenderover 14 yearshahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Coolgirlover 14 yearsgross!
- ggover 14 yearscool
- 200over 14 yearsi was happy to know about hippopotamus think you