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Dentition and age determination of the giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis
Author(s) -
HallMartin A. J.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1976.tb04678.x
Subject(s) - dentition , molar , biology , anatomy , age groups , crown (dentistry) , mandible (arthropod mouthpart) , orthodontics , zoology , paleontology , genus , medicine , demography , sociology
Thirteen tooth eruption stages and their corresponding chronological ages are descri bed from a series of giraffe jaws. These can be used for age determination in giraffes with immature dentition. Significant correlations of the lingual crown height ( r =0‐957; P < 0001) and lingual occlusal surface width ( r =0‐959; P < 0001) with the number of dark staining incremental lines in the cementum of thin decalcified sections of the maxillary first molar were found. The regression equations derived from these relationships provide a further method for determining the age of a giraffe. A composite plate showing maxillary first molar wear patterns provides a means of roughly assigning an age to a particular specimen. Thin sections of undecalcified teeth, mandible measurements, various other indices of tooth wear and eye lens mass were investigated and found unsuitable for age determination in this