How to Use denticle in a Sentence

denticle

noun
  • But the longer the sharks spent bathing in the harsh liquid, the worse off their denticles were.
    Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, 21 Dec. 2019
  • Now, denticles, the toothlike protrusions that cover the skin of sharks, can be added to the list.
    Quanta Magazine, 2 Jan. 2019
  • In free-swimming sharks like the great white, denticles account for up to 12 percent of their swimming speed.
    Matt Simon, Wired, 19 Dec. 2019
  • The team reasoned that some cameras stuck longer because the manta’s skin had more mucus, which filled in the gaps between denticles and made for a stronger seal.
    National Geographic, 12 May 2017
  • The team reasoned that some cameras stuck longer because the manta’s skin had more mucus, which filled in the gaps between denticles and made for a stronger seal.
    National Geographic, 12 May 2017
  • These skin denticles decrease drag in the water and help sharks glide more quietly.
    Lauren Kent, CNN, 28 Nov. 2019
  • In the scans, the scientists found both the oil-transporting capillaries and tiny, scale-like denticles around the opening of each pore.
    National Geographic, 6 July 2016
  • But don't expect to see swimmers sluicing through the water in denticle suits anytime soon.
    April Reese, Discover Magazine, 15 May 2014
  • The shark skin denticles can flex at angles more than 40 degrees from its body—but only in the direction of reversing flow (i.e., from tail to nose).
    Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 13 Mar. 2020
  • At least in the case of the chain cat shark, the dark denticles serve as optical waveguides, channeling the fluorescence signal along their body length.
    Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 8 Aug. 2019
  • The denticles look like tiny teeth—in fact, one theory holds that teeth actually evolved from these skin structures.
    Brian Clark Howard, National Geographic, 8 Aug. 2019
  • One of the shark species studied also directs the glowing light through tiny, rigid denticles on its skin to enhance the fluorescent effect.
    Brian Clark Howard, National Geographic, 8 Aug. 2019
  • One study found that shark denticles are responsible for an up to 12 percent increase in swimming speed.
    Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 19 Dec. 2019
  • Unlike the typical scales found on bony fishes, which are thin and overlapping, dermal denticles are hard and tooth-like in structure.
    Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 17 July 2023
  • There are new wetsuits that have copied the overlapping teeth-like denticles of shark skin to reduce drag, and goggles that copy how fish and some flowers trap water to create a clearer view.
    Matthew Berger, Smithsonian, 26 May 2018
  • The denticle record had been previously used to document shark occurrences in deep time.
    Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 1 Sep. 2021
  • Dinosaur teeth from the three species studied have been scaled to same crown height for comparison of general shape and denticle details...with T. rex relative Gorgosaurus, not part of the study, joining the mix just for fun.
    Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 26 Apr. 2018
  • Though shark skin appears smooth, it's actually covered in tiny toothlike scales called denticles.
    Sydney Pereira, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2018
  • But scientists are now concerned that even durable denticles have met their match: ocean acidification.
    Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, 21 Dec. 2019
  • What's interesting about that finding is that Troodon's diet has been the subject of much debate in paleontology due to its unique denticle pattern.
    Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 26 Apr. 2018
  • On individual sharks, denticle patterns and sizes can vary.
    Joanna Klein, National Geographic, 28 July 2020
  • So Auerswald and his colleagues decided to simulate the effects of acidification on the denticles of puffadder shysharks (Haploblepharus edwardsii) in the lab.
    Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, 21 Dec. 2019
  • Numerous small denticles typically cover the palate, sometimes accompanied by a few larger teeth.
    Darren Naish, Scientific American Blog Network, 7 July 2017
  • Researchers from the University of Florida recently discovered that shark denticles are laid down by a Turing-like mechanism directed by the same genes responsible for feather pattern formation.
    Quanta Magazine, 2 Jan. 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'denticle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: