Paleontologists find teeth wonderfully informative. Teeth are the hardest parts of our bodies, because the enamel includes a high proportion of the mineral hydroxyapatite—higher even than is found in bones. Thanks to their hardness, teeth are often the best-preserved animal part we find in the fossil record for many time periods. This is lucky; since teeth are such a great clue to an animal’s diet, the fossil record can give us a good window on how different ways of feeding came about.
