Most teeth for a vertebrate

The vertebrate with the most teeth is the common leaf-tailed gecko Uroplatus fimbriatus of Madagascar. It possesses a total of 169 teeth in its upper jaw and 148 in its lower jaw, making for a grand total of 317. Exactly why this lizard has evolved such a high number of tiny teeth remains a mystery.

This also makes the leaf-tailed gecko the land animal with the most teeth. Only certain prehistoric pterosaurs (flying reptiles) possessed a greater teeth count than this among non-aquatic animals.

The land mammal with the most teeth, meanwhile, is the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) of South America, which typically has up to 100 peg-like grinding teeth in its jaws.