Age Estimation of African Lions Panthera leo by Ratio of Tooth Areas

Paula A White; Dennis Ikanda; Luigi Ferrante; Philippe Chardonnet; Pascal Mesochina; Roberto Cameriere

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0153648

Age Estimation of African Lions Panthera leo by Ratio of Tooth Areas

PLoS One. 2016 Apr 18;11(4):e0153648. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153648. eCollection 2016.

Authors

Paula A White¹, Dennis Ikanda², Luigi Ferrante³, Philippe Chardonnet⁴, Pascal Mesochina⁴, Roberto Cameriere⁵

Affiliations

¹ Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
² Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, Arusha, Tanzania.
³ Center of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Medical Information Technology, Department of Biomedical Science and Public Health, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.
⁴ IGF-International Foundation for Wildlife Management, Paris, France.
⁵ AgEstimation Project, Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Macerata, Macerata, Italy.

Abstract

Improved age estimation of African lions Panthera leo is needed to address a number of pressing conservation issues. Here we present a formula for estimating lion age to within six months of known age based on measuring the extent of pulp closure from X-rays, or Ratio Of tooth AReas (ROAR). Derived from measurements taken from lions aged 3-13 years for which exact ages were known, the formula explains 92% of the total variance. The method of calculating the pulp/tooth area ratio, which has been used extensively in forensic science, is novel in the study of lion aging. As a quantifiable measure, ROAR offers improved lion age estimates for population modeling and investigations of age-related mortality, and may assist national and international wildlife authorities in judging compliance with regulatory measures involving age.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Age Determination by Teeth / methods*
Aging / physiology*
Animals
Female
Lions
Male
Population Dynamics
Regression Analysis
Tooth / diagnostic imaging*
X-Ray Diffraction

Grants and funding

Field research was funded in part by Safari Club International Foundation (PAW, DI) and IGF-Foundation (DI, PC, PM). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.