Premolar Gap Technique for Aging Live Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs
Cox MK and Franklin WL. 1990. Premolar Gap Technique for Aging Live Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 54(1):143-146
We examined premolar gap, a measure of molariform attrition, in live and dead black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) of known age for use as a new aging technique for live sciurids. The premolar gap width increases linearly through 3 years of age and curvilinearly with older adults. Neither weight nor sex differences significantly affected premolar gap variability. Confidence limits around predicted yearly ages did not overlap at a 75% confidence level. The technique was demonstrated to be repeatable by other investigators.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Cox, Mike; Franklin, William
- Units
- SCBL
- Keywords
- Age Distribution, Animal Studies, Black-Tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus), graph, Scotts Bluff National Monument Gering Nebraska, table