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Enamel hypoplasia in sympatric chimpanzee and gorilla

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Human Evolution

Abstract

The prevalence of enamel hypoplasia in 229Pan andGorilla, from the Republic of Cameroon, is described. A substantially higher proportion of gorillas (76%) than chimpanzees (58%) was affected. The incidence of enamel hypoplasia was not a function of sex, body size, or pathology. A study of tooth formation, from radiographs of a further series of immature apes, indicated that the mandibular canine bore 99% of all information about hypoplasia events. In both species a marked regularity of hypoplastic grooving with an interval of about 11.4% of canine crown height was observed. This appears to reflect a semi-annual cycle of stress which is tentatively linked to the twice-yearly rainy season. Uniform spacing of hypoplastic grooves has been observed in a variety of fossil hominids. Readily observable hypoplastic time markers in the teeth have potential for disclosing growth rates in early Hominidae. This is considered important because of the profound significance which prolonged maturation and longevity characteristic of recent human beings have for the transmission of learned behavior and social bonding.

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  1. Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, V5A IS6, Burnaby, B. C., Canada

    M. F. Skinner

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Skinner, M.F. Enamel hypoplasia in sympatric chimpanzee and gorilla. Hum. Evol. 1, 289–312 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02436704

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