oa Madoqua - Dentition and age estimation of elephants in the Etosha National Park, Namibia

Abstract

Variation in the number of laminae per molar, and in the number and position of foramina mentale in mandibles from elephants in the Etosha National Park rules out the use of referenced laminary counts for age estimation purposes. Premature loss of anterior molar fragments occurred in 18% of mandibles, as an additional source of confusion and subjectivity in the identification of age classes.