Glossary

antemere – The other side of a bilateral organ. In the example of a right central incisor, the antemere would be the left central incisor.

artiodactyls – Even-toed hoofed mammals; the mammalian order that includes hippopotamuses, pigs, peccaries, camels, chevrotains, cattle, antelopes, deer, giraffes. Among living mammals, probably the closest relatives of whales. ("Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals," William F. Perrin, Bernd Wursig and J.G.M. Thewissen, Academic Press, 2002, p. 1348.)

cementum – The bonelike rigid connective tissue covering the root of a tooth from the cementoenamel junction to the apex and lining the apex of the root canal. ("Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary," 24th Edition, W.B. Saunders Company, 1965.)

directional asymmetry – "Dissimilarity in corresponding parts or organs on opposite sides of the body which are normally alike." ("Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary," 24th Edition, W.B. Saunders Company, 1965.)

horn – "A non-deciduous excrescence, often curved and pointed, consisting of an epidermal sheathe growing over a bony core and on the heads of animals serving as a weapon of offense or defense." ("Oxford English Dictionary," 1971.)

microfibril – A minute fiber composing the matrix of dentin. ("Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary," 24th Edition, W.B. Saunders Company, 1965.)

morphology – The branch of biology that studies the structure and form of tissue.

mysticetes – The toothless or baleen (whalebone) whales; the suborder that includes those of bulk feed and cannot echolocate.  ("Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals," William F. Perrin, Bernd Wursig and J.G.M. Thewissen, Academic Press, 2002, p. 1361.)

odontoblast – One of the columnar connective tissue cells which deposit dentin and form the outer surface of the dentinal pulp adjacent to the dentin. ("Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary," 24th Edition, W.B. Saunders Company, 1965.)

odontocetes – The toothed whales, including sperm and killer whales, belugas, narwhals, dolphins and porpoises; the suborder of whales including those able to echolocate. ("Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals," William F. Perrin, Bernd Wursig and J.G.M. Thewissen, Academic Press, 2002, p. 1362.)

piezoelectric – Electrical current generated by mechanical stress in quartz and certain other crystals. ("Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary," 24th Edition, W.B. Saunders Company, 1965.)

sexual dimorphism – "The development of physical and other differences between the sexes of the same species, especially when this difference extends beyond the reproductive organs to overall size, color, and the development of special features." ("Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals," William F. Perrin, Bernd Wursig and J.G.M. Thewissen, Academic Press, 2002, p. 1367.)

tooth – Its derived meaning relates to function rather than form, and in its pure form describes a conical or pyramidal elevation regardless of its substance. Horn-like teeth originate from the ectoderm while teeth in vertebrates are formed from both ectoderm and mesoderm. The teeth of most vertebrates consist primarily of dentin. This layer may be covered by enamel in the exposed tooth and by cementum in the root portion which is lodged in bone. However, these layers do not define nor do they exist in all animal teeth. ("Comparative Odontology," Bernhard Peyer, University of Chicago Press, 1968, pp. 9-12.)

tusk – "An extremely large tooth projecting beyond the lips." ("Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary," 24th Edition, W.B. Saunders Company, 1965.)