大象传媒

Servals are much bigger than a domestic cat and need to catch about a dozen mice and rats each day just to survive.

Meat-eaters need very different teeth to vegetarians.

Instead of grinders and pulpers, they require the armoury of a butcher's shop.

Lions, for instance, have two pairs of fangs at the front. These are daggers that stab the prey and grip it unrelentingly if it struggles.

In the centre of the mouth are nipping teeth to pick off strands of meat.

At the back are cutters that are not only able to sharpen themselves but mesh on to each other so accurately that they can sheer through hide, tendons and bone. These shearing teeth explain why lions and cats chew with the sides of their mouths.