Terrestrial foraging and dental microwear inPapio ursinus

摘要: Dental microwear of ten wild-shot chacma baboons (Papio urinus) form Northwest and Northern Privinces, South Africa was examined by scanning electron microscopy. All specimens were collected during the dry season, which these primates exploit hypogeous (underground) food items, including tubers corms. The fabric thisP. ursinus sample is characterized high pitting frequencies large features. It differs significantly from those displayed other terrestrially foraging papionins genusTheropithecus. Exogenous grit hypothesized to be largely responsible for observedP. wear pattern, resembles profiles durophagous primates. suggested that features a incidence enamel pitting, are generally held represent “signature” durophagy, may not always indicative hard-object feeding in anthropoid