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Animals With Fangs (17 Examples with Pictures + Fang Sizes)

big animal fangs

Animals With Fangs (17 Examples with Pictures + Fang Sizes)

Fangs! What’s the first animal that comes to your mind? Snakes right? Most snakes have scary fangs, especially venomous ones. But did you know that there are many other animals with fangs too? Even herbivores.

Examples of animals with fangs include gorillas, hippos, vampire bats, big cats, wolves, musk deer, baboons, payaras, among other animals.

Fangs are very important tools that help animals in carrying out various activities like hunting, tearing the flesh, scaring potential predators, defending territories, and inserting venom, among other uses.

But not all fangs are sharp. Some are blunt but can cause damage due to their huge size.

The following list comprises animals with fangs:

  • Gorillas
  • Hippos
  • Vampire Bats
  • Siberian Musk Deer
  • Black Mambas
  • Baboons
  • Clouded Leopards
  • Payaras
  • Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes
  • Gray Wolves
  • Goliath Birdeater Tarantula Spiders
  • Gabon Vipers
  • Dogs
  • Opossums 
  • Vampire Deer
  • King Cobras
  • Bears

List of Animals With Fangs

Gorillas

gorilla showing its sharp teeth

Scientific Name: Gorilla
Diet: Herbivore
Fang size: 2 inches

The first members on our list of animals with fangs are gorillas. A plant-eating Gorilla? Surprising, right? In males, the so-called fangs or canine teeth are extra elongated than a female’s.

Gorillas with longer fangs are more dominant. In other words, they are more attractive to the females during the mating season.

Silverback gorillas of different groups fight to the death on meeting each other. Besides their strong and bulky bodies, gorillas will use their long fangs to inflict deadly injures on their opponents.

In the wild, these great apes are found in the jungles of Africa. And unlike most primates, they do not typically climb trees.

Hippos

hippo with its jaw open

Scientific Name: Hippopotamus Amphibius
Diet: Herbivore
Fang size: 16 inches

Another herbivore animal with fangs, the hippopotamus, is the third-largest land animal! They have large teeth that are normally called tusks. But, its long teeth placed in the lower jaw are also called fangs.

The Hippopotamus uses these fangs to fight while protecting their babies or territory from outsiders. They even use them to battle other aggressive predators.

These giant animals have the largest fangs of any land mammal in the world.

Hippos are found in Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, the northern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gambia, and Sudan.

Vampire Bats

vampire bat crawling on the ground

Scientific Name: Desmodontinae
Diet: Sanguivores
Fang size: 0.5 inches

Infamous for its fangs in horror movies, here is the vampire bat! No, but this one does not shapeshift into a human, unlike the fictional character! These are small blood-sucking bats that prey on cows, horses, pigs, and birds.

Vampire bats have sharp teeth that look like fangs. Their diet is entirely made of blood.

They also have a special anticoagulant in their saliva that helps them suck blood. This saliva prevents the wound from closing, thus allowing the bats to feed on their prey.

These bats are silent killers. The anticoagulant saliva causes no pain or clotting while feeding. Thus the prey does not know it is being fed upon!

Siberian Musk Deer

Scientific Name: Moschus Moschiferus
Diet: Herbivore
Fang size: 4 inches

The Siberian musk deer is a species of musk deer with extended canine teeth length. Unlike most other deer, they do not have horns but make up for them with their long fangs.

Siberian musks use these fangs while fighting against other males during mating season. Their fangs are a sign of dominance and are even used to mark and maintain their territory.

These fangs are seen as an interesting anomaly as they have a vegetarian diet. As the name goes, Siberian musk is found in Siberia, the Himalayas, Taiga, Mongolia, and other cold parts. 

Black Mambas

black mamba on a gray rock

Scientific Name: Dendroaspis Polylepis
Diet: Carnivore
Fang size: 0.26 inches

The black mamba is the second-longest snake after the cobra. It also has the fastest striking skill and is known for its deadly hunting ability. They are most commonly found in East and South African savannahs.

The fangs of the black mamba are hollow and razor-sharp. Their venom is deadly enough to kill animals ten times its size. These snakes are known to have killed lions, tigers, and even elephants.

Baby mambas have about 1 or 2 drops of venom in their fangs. Whereas adults have around 10 to 12 drops. The prey of these deadly reptiles is dead within seconds to a minute.

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Baboons

gray baboon showing its fangs

Scientific Name: Papio
Diet: Omnivore
Fang size: 2 inches

The mischievous baboons have also made it to this list of animals with fangs! Their upper and lower jaws are equipped with scary-looking fangs. 

Their fangs help them hunt small prey like lambs, rodents, birds, and antelopes.

Apart from hunting usefulness, males with long fangs seem more attractive to other females. Further, long-fanged baboons use these characteristics to assert dominance and are often the leaders of their group.

All kinds of baboons are from the family of Old World monkeys. These primates are found mainly in Arabia, Africa, and other such places. 

Clouded Leopards

clouded leopard laying with its mouth open

Scientific Name: Neofelis Nebulosa
Diet: Carnivore
Fang size: 2 inches

Like all other members of the feline species, the clouded leopard has two pairs of powerful fangs. Yet, they have the longest fangs in relation to their size as compared to other big cats. (source)

These cats primarily use their lethal fangs for hunting; they pierce through the skin of the prey and hold it firmly. However, their long fangs are also used for scaring off potential intruders, as well as protecting their territory.

Clouded leopards are strict carnivores, and they prey on macaques, gibbons, wild boars, and small deer. These cats are commonly found in southern China, Borneo, Taiwan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and India. 

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Payaras

Scientific Name: Hydrolycus Scomberoides
Diet: Carnivore
Fang size: 5 to 6 inches

Did you ever think there would be fish more dangerous than the infamous Piranha? Well, meet the Payara. A payara is also known as a vampire fish.

This is because their lower jaws are lined with large fang-like teeth. They are vicious carnivores predators that catch the prey by using their long fangs. Payaras even hunt other fishes of their size!

These fish are common in the Amazon Basin in South America. They go by many other names like Dracula fish, Wolf-fish, and Sabre-toothed tiger fish.

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes

rattlesnake on the rocky ground

Scientific Name: Crotalus Adamanteus
Diet: Carnivore
Fang size: 1 inch

The eastern diamondback is the largest rattlesnake around. A venomous snake that possesses a powerful set of fangs.

Its curved fangs are hollow and connected to the venom glands inside. The principal use of their fangs is to inject venom into their prey.

These excellent predators can retract their fangs inwards and parallel to their mouth roof. Their prey includes rabbits, birds, rats, squirrels, and other small mammals.

Diamondbacks are common in Southern Alabama, Louisiana, southeastern United States, Florida, North Carolina, and Mississippi. 

Gray Wolves

angry gray wolf with its jaw open

Scientific Name: Canis Lupus
Diet: Carnivore
Fang size: 1 to 2.5 inches

This is the common wolf that is also called a gray wolf due to its color. Gray wolves have four canines out of their 42 teeth. The canines on the top jaw are longer than the ones on the bottom.

Wolves use these pointy teeth to hunt and catch their prey in their powerful jaws. These sharp canine teeth prevent their prey from escaping.

Wolf’s fangs also pierce through the cartilages and bones of their prey’s throat. The most common prey of the gray wolf are deer, moose, beavers, and even some smaller foxes.

Gray wolves are mostly found in northern Idaho, northeast Oregon, Alaska, Michigan, Wyoming, and western Montana. 

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Goliath Birdeater Tarantula Spiders

Scientific Name: Theraphosa Blondi
Diet: Carnivore
Fang size: 2 inches

The Goliath Birdeater is the largest and heaviest species of the tarantula spider. They also have the longest fangs compared to other species. Their fangs have venomous glands attached to them.

The Goliath Birdeater injects its prey with venom and kills it almost instantly. Its venom can even break through human skin.

However, the goliath’s venom is safer for larger animals, including humans. They would feel as much of a sting as a wasp.

As the name suggests, it is large enough to feed on birds too. But, its diet mainly consists of earthworms, rodents, lizards, large frogs, and snakes.

They are commonly found in Brazil, Guyana, northern South America, French Guiana, Venezuela, and Suriname.

Gaboon Vipers

grey gaboon viper in the sand

Scientific Name: Bitis Gabonica
Diet: Carnivore
Fang size: 2 inches

It is one of the most dangerous vipers around. After the king cobra, this viper has the longest length and also has the longest fangs.

The Gaboon viper’s bite can be fatal to its prey. It is beautiful, yet, a scary snake that kills its prey using fangs.

Due to its long fangs, it can yield more venom. They feed on mammals, birds, and many kinds of rodents too. Field mice, hares, and rabbits are their favorite.

Its venom-filled bite is dangerous to human beings as well. The Gaboon viper is mostly found in western and central Africa.

Dogs

golden retriver showing its teeth

Scientific Name: Canis Lupus Familiaris
Diet: Omnivore
Fang size: 0.3 to 1 inches

The dog also referred to as ‘man’s best friend’, is a canine species that descended from an extinct wolf. The first domestication started during hunter-gatherer civilizations over 15,000 years ago. In fact, dogs were the first and the only big carnivores that have been domesticated.

Dogs have 42 teeth in total, 22 on the bottom and 20 on the top of their jaws. This includes four canine teeth (fangs), two on the top and two on the bottom of their mouth. As in most carnivores, the fangs of the dogs are pointy and longer than the rest teeth.

Canine teeth found in dogs serve several purposes, tearing food, holding things, and scaring potential enemies. German Shepards and Malinois are dog breeds that typically have the longest fangs.

Read Also: Animals With Claws

Vampire Deer

Scientific Name: Hydropotes Inermis
Diet: Herbivore
Fang size: 1 to 1.5 inches

This scary but cute-looking species of water deer is next on our list! Commonly found in the southeast, they are also called Chinese or Korean water deer.

It is a small-sized deer having sharp, lengthy canine teeth protruding from the upper jaw. Like most herbivores with fangs, vampire deer also use theirs as a sign of dominance.

During mating season, male deer use their fangs while competing against other men. They also use them while taking care of their territory.

Opossums

opossum climbing on a tree

Scientific Name: Didelphidae
Diet: Omnivore
Fang size: 0.3 inches

Opossums are opportunistic omnivores that feed on virtually anything that they can get their hands on. They are attracted to carrion, but they are often seen near garbage cans and dumpsters, looking for food.

Interestingly, these marsupials have more teeth than any land mammal in the U.S. Opossums have a total of 50 teeth, including two pairs of fangs. 

These creatures will use their fangs to tear off meat and to try to scare off potential predators. However, if their predators are too big to get scared, opossums will play dead and wake up once the danger passes.

King Cobras

big gray cobra in the wild

Scientific Name: Ophiophagus
Diet: Carnivore
Fang size: 0.5 inches

Perhaps the most dangerous of them all, the king cobra is a well-known animal with fangs. It is the longest venomous snake in the world.

The fangs of king cobras are long and hollow and are placed in the upper jaw. 

King cobras catch their prey by injecting them with deadly venom. The venom immobilizes their prey, and the snake proceeds to eat them whole.

However, they cannot hold their prey for too long, and so, in time, they adapted to fangs to kill their prey by slowing them down with poison.

These giant venomous reptiles are mainly found in southern China, northern India, the Malay Peninsula, and Hongkong.

Bears

big brown bear showing its fangs

Scientific Name: Ursidae
Diet: Omnivore and Carnivore
Fang size: 1.5 to 3 inches

The last members on our list of animals with fangs are bears. Today, there are eight extant bear species; found in Asia, Europe, North and South America. These big mammals are classified as caniforms (doglike carnivorans).

Most species are categorized as omnivores, feeding on both meat and plant-based food. They have a total of 42 teeth, including 10 molars, 12 incisors, 16 premolars, and 4 canines.

Unlike big cats or other canines, bears do not bear their teeth when they feel defensive. The main use of their fangs is when hunting live prey to pierce through the skin of the animal.

The length of the fangs can vary between species; however, an adult bear typically grows its fangs close to 3 inches in length.

Conclusion

Above are some of the fascinating animals with fangs found in the wilderness. Most of these creatures use these pointed teeth for hunting or protecting themselves and their territory. While herbivores, besides defensive purposes, usually use fangs to display dominance during mating rituals.

And that’s about it. Thank you for reading. Hopefully, you found this article helpful and informative. For the very end, we would like to recommend you a read on a similar topic: Red-eyed Animals

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