Snails have thousands of teeth.

If snails had dentists, they’d need some darn good dental insurance to cover the cost of their visits. These tiny gastropods possess thousands of teeth at any given time, often growing and regenerating teeth as older sets wear down. Estimates put the total number of teeth between 1,000 and 25,000, depending on the species.

To be clear, a snail’s chompers aren’t nearly as prominent as ones found in the mouth of a shark or grizzly bear. They’re essentially microscopic spikes strewn about the tongue, forming what’s called a “radula.” Snails use those radulae to scrape at food, similar to how emery boards whittle down fingernails. The spiky teeth then hook onto the food like velcro, allowing the snails to draw their meals into their mouths for consumption.