Non‐metric skeletal age changes in the Darajani baboon

Dental attrition, cranial suture closure, and epiphyseal union are compared as indicators of relative age in baboons, Papio cynocephalus (Linnaeus, 1776). Tooth destruction from wear is extreme. Such destruction is certainly a factor of vital importance to feral baboons and may limit life span. As cusps wear away, they form selenes of dentine and enamel which are effective grinding surfaces. In conditions of extreme wear, functional fourth molars may be quite beneficial. Vault sutures of females remain active longer than those of males. In contrast, most other cranial sutures and sites of epiphyseal activity mature earlier in the female than in males. Attrition scores in this sample are as useful as assessments of closure or epiphyseal union to determine the relative position of an individual in an age sequence. The most reliable estimates rely on all three sources.