Linear enamel hypoplasia in caribou ( Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus): A potential tool to assess population health

• Published in: Wildlife Society Bulletin
• Main Authors: Wu, Jessica P., Veitch, Alasdair, Checkley, Sylvia, Dobson, Howard, Kutz, Susan J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2012
• Subjects: Canada; Northwest Territories; Nunavut; Rangifer tarandus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wsb.175; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fwsb.175; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wsb.175

Abstract We studied the presence of linear enamel hypoplasias (LEHs; tooth defects associated with physiological stress) in caribou ( Rangifer tarandus ). A timeline of tooth enamel development was determined by radiographic examination of 48 mandibles from caribou aged 3–24 months old. We examined mandibles from the Bluenose East ( n = 56) and Bluenose West ( n = 15) caribou herds in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada, for LEHs and 21.1% (15/71) were affected. We concluded that LEHs do occur in caribou and tracking these over time may provide a tool to track population dynamics in extant wildlife. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.