Journal of the sixtyeighth day on board

9th July, 1999

Osvaldo Ballabio has come back on board. (metti pf. link con la pagina che parlava di Osvaldo e delle sue insalate). You will remember he is the dentist from Milan - the "Salad King”.
If Osvaldo's clients were sharks he would be unemployed.
It is true that almost all shark species cannot survive without their teeth in perfect working order. It is also true that every kind of shark has different teeth, as if they were fingerprints. Observing the different types of teeth it is possible to infer the species they belong to and also what they eat. Some sharks have pointed teeth to hook small prey such as squid. Others have triangular teeth ideal for tearing off flesh and muscles from much bigger prey. Other sharks again have proper dental plates, which are used as presses by sharks to chop shells and invertebrates.

So what kind of a problem would a shark's dentist face?

OK. His patients wouldn't need him. In fact when a shark does have problems with a tooth he doesn’t waste his time, he just changes it. They can replace 20.000 teeth in a lifetime!

PS: We are still in the harbour of Lampedusa. The wind is force 6.

Harbour of Lampedusa