Tooth Wear Inclination in Great Ape Molars

In this study, we analyze and compare the wear patterns ofPongo pygmaeus,Gorilla gorillagorilla andPan troglodytes schweinfurthiilower molars, focusing on the degree of inclination of specific wear facets. The variation in wear angles appears to be indicative of jaw movements and the specific stresses imposed on food during mastication, reflecting thus the ecology of these species. Orangutans exhibit flatter wear angles, more typical of a diet consisting of hard and brittle foods, while gorillas show a wear pattern with a high degree of inclination, reflecting thus their more leafy diet. Chimpanzees, on the other hand, show intermediate inclinations, a pattern that could be related to their highly variable diet. This method is demonstrated to be a powerful tool for better understanding the relationship between food, mastication and tooth wear processes in living primates, and can be potentially used to reconstruct the diet of fossil species.Folia Primatol 2017;88:223-236

Source: Folia Primatologica - August 15, 2017 Category: Physiology Source Type: research