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Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology

Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology

Published on: August 22, 2022

Tooth fracture frequency in gray wolves reflects prey availability.

Blaire Van Valkenburgh¹, Rolf O Peterson², Douglas W Smith³

¹Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States.

|September 25, 2019

Summary

Tooth fracture rates in large carnivores indicate how difficult prey acquisition is. When food is scarce, wolves consumed more of their kills, leading to doubled tooth fracture rates.

Keywords:

Isle Royale Yellowstone carnivore competition ecology evolutionary biology gray wolves predator:prey ratio tooth fracture

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Area of Science:

Paleontology
Ecology
Zoology

Background:

High tooth fracture rates in Pleistocene carnivores suggest increased competition for prey.
Tooth fracture is linked to increased bone consumption, often seen when prey is scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between prey availability and dental wear in large carnivores.
To use tooth fracture as an indicator of energetic stress in wild predator populations.

Main Methods:

Documented dental fracture rates over decades in three gray wolf populations.
Compared fracture rates with varying prey:predator ratios and carcass utilization levels.

Main Results:

Tooth fracture rates more than doubled when prey:predator ratios declined and kills were more fully consumed.
Demonstrated a rapid physiological response to diminished food resources in large carnivores.

Conclusions:

Tooth fracture frequency serves as a reliable measure of prey acquisition difficulty.
Large carnivore tooth fracture rates reflect energetic stress, offering a quantifiable metric for predator success.