Question

Animals in which premolars and molars are similar
(a) Elephants
(b) Otters
(c) Jackals
(d) Ass and Horse

Answer 1

Hint: The number of teeth and their functioning varies from animal to animal depending on their dietary habits. Premolars and molars have their role in food chewing or mastication. In ruminants, they are found to be similar, as they mostly feed on food plants.

Complete answer:
The premolars lie straight after the canines. They are located in the maxillary, in the upper jaw. They vary widely in type and scale, from a tiny peg in a shrew's mouth to a large crushing or slicing organ in a sea otter or wolf.
The most mammalian posterior teeth in the jaws are molars. They differ greatly in scale, shape, and function as with premolars.
Elephants have tusks that are modified incisors, and different molars and premolars are used to grind and chew food. Carnivorous otters have long canines for cutting meat. Jackals are also carnivores whose canines are long. Ass and horse are ruminants and graze so that they have similar premolars and molars for grass chewing and grinding.
So, the correct answer is, 'Ass and horse'.

Note: Typically, but not always, premolars are slightly smaller and simpler than the molars which follow. They are differentiated from molars because the premolars are deciduous; that is, a collection of milk is replaced by an adult set later on. Molars are not replaced; they still remain as developed teeth. The completion of the eruption of molar teeth is typically postponed until the person reaches near adult size.