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Computed Tomography as a Method for Age Determination of Carnivora and Odontocetes with Validation from Individuals with Known Age
oleh: Sina Baier-Stegmaier, Carsten Gundlach, Mariann Chriél, Mette Sif Hansen, Christina Vedel-Smith, Charlotte Vikkelsø Hansen, Daniel Klingberg Johansson, Louise Birgitte Henriksen, Magnus Wahlberg, Charlotte Bie Thøstesen, Aage Kristian Olsen Alstrup, Kristian Murphy Gregersen, Cino Pertoldi, Sussie Pagh
Format: | Article |
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Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2023-05-01 |
Deskripsi
Traditional methods for age determination of wildlife include either slicing thin sections off or grinding a tooth, both of which are laborious and invasive. Especially when it comes to ancient and valuable museum samples of rare or extinct species, non-invasive methods are preferable. In this study, X-ray micro-computed tomography (µ-CT) was verified as an alternative non-invasive method for age determination of three species within the order of Carnivora and suborders Odontoceti. Teeth from 13 red foxes (<i>Vulpes vulpes</i>), 2 American mink (<i>Neogale vison</i>), and 2 harbor porpoises (<i>Phocoena phocoena</i>) of known age were studied using µ-CT. The number of visible dental growth layers in the µ-CT were highly correlated with true age for all three species (R<sup>2</sup> = 96%, <i>p</i> < 0.001). In addition, the Bland–Altman plot showed high agreement between the age of individuals and visible dental layers represented in 2D slices of the 3D µ-CT images. The true age of individuals was on average 0.3 (±0.6 SD) years higher than the age interpreted by the µ-CT image, and there was a 95% agreement between the true age and the age interpreted from visible dental layers in the µ-CT.