Assessing current visual tooth wear age estimation methods for Rangifer tarandus using a known age sample from Canada.

ABSTRACT: Age estimation is crucial for investigating animal populations in the past and present. Visual examination of tooth wear and eruption is one of the most common ageing methods in zooarchaeology, wildlife management, palaeontology, and veterinary research. Such approaches are particularly advantageous because they are non-destructive, can be completed using photographs, and do not require specialized training. Several tooth wear and eruption methods have been developed for Rangifer tarandus, a widely distributed and long-utilized species in the North. This paper evaluates the practicality and effectiveness of three existing visual tooth wear and eruption methods for this species using a large known-age sample from several caribou populations in northern Canada (Bluenose East, Bluenose West,

SUBMITTER: Kohut G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10986930 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature