AGING White Tail Deer

8/7/2019 AGING White Tail Deer

1/13

Aging White-tailed deer by

tooth wear and replacement


2/13

Aging Characteristics Physical Characteristics

Antler Size

Number of points not

correlated with age Body size and shape

Neck

Waist

Back

Behavior Tooth wear and replacement-

Harvested Deer


3/13

Age Classes

y Born in May and June

y Fall harvest

y 6 months- fawny 1.5 yrs- yearling

y 2.5 yrs

y 3.5 yrs

y 4.5 yrsy 5.5 yrs

y 6.5 yrs


4/13

Tooth Weary The amount of visible dentine is an important factor in

determining the age.

y The tooth wear and replacement method is not 100%accurate however, due to the differences in habitat.

y Tooth wear on a farmland deer may not be as fast asthat of a deep woods buck.


5/13

Severinghaus (1949) aging methody Focus on lower jaw bone

y Adult deer

y 3 premolars and 3 molars


6/13

y 6 Months

y 4 teeth showing.

y 3rd premolar has three cusps


7/13

1.5 yrs

6 teeth

Third premolar

Third molar (last tooth) may still be erupting

Cusps ofmolars have sharp points.

Inset: Extremely worn third premolar may fool people into

thinking deer is older. Actually, this tooth is lost after

1-1/2; years and replaced with a permanent two-cusped

premolar.


8/13

2.5 yrs

T

eeth are permanentOn the first molar (4th tooth) the cusps are sharp

Enamel > dentine

Third cusp (back cusp) ofsixth tooth (third molar) is sharp.


9/13

3.5 yrs

Cusps show some wear

Dentine now thicker than enamel on cusp offourth

tooth (first molar).

Dentine offifth tooth (second molar) usually

not as wide as enamel.

Back cusp is flattened.


10/13

4.5 yrs

Cusp offourth tooth (first molar) is gone.

Cusps on fifth and sixth teeth (secondand third molar) are blunt.

Dentine offourth tooth now twice as wide as enamel.

Dentine offifth tooth wider than enamel.


11/13

5.5 yrs +


12/13

9-1/2; Years:

By 9-1/2; years, all cheek teeth are cupped

andworn nearly to the gum line.


13/13

Review 1.5 : Tooth 3- milk tooth with three

cuspsTooth 6- not fully erupted

2.5: Tooth 3- permanent 2 cuspTooth 4- Enamel=DentineTooth 6- Back cusp is sharp and

pointed

3.5: Tooth 4-Dentine>EnamelTooth 6- back cusp worn flat

4.5: Tooth 4-Dentin 2x EnamelTooth 6- Back cusp slopes

downward

5.5: Tooth 4-Dentin 2x EnamelTooth 5- Dentin 2x EnamelTooth 6- Dentin > Enamel

y 6.5: Tooth 4- Dished out

Tooth 5- Small enamel ridge incenter


y 7.5: Tooth 4- Worn Smooth

Tooth 5- Worn Smooth


y 8.5: All teeth worn smooth

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AGING White Tail Deer