Aging Coyotes Using Dental Characteristics

摘要: The accepted methods of age determination in the coyote (Canis latrans) are either highly subjective and unquantifiable or expensive require extraction canine tooth. Since neither these ideal, their limitations have impeded research on this species. Therefore, it was my objective to (1) develop test accuracy precision a descriptive key based tooth wear patterns lower tooth, (2) reliability multiple regression models for aging coyotes using measurements from extracted teeth, (3) suggest criteria improving consistency results techniques. From sample 996 teeth collected that had been previously aged by counting cementum annuli, subsample 303 were carefully examined characteristic patterns. These characteristics used an illustrated could be assign 1 of7 classes: 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5, and~ 6.5 years. Using key, I estimated subset of203 teeth. correctly 138 203 (68%) remaining 65 58 (89%) within one year. My ages correlated assigned (r = 0.882). Four other readers composite 20 four mean coefficient variation (CV) of27.9, ranging 10.8-35.6. most accurate reader 16 of20 (80%) least 10 (50%). Older individuals tended underaged.