TELLING DEER’S AGE BY ITS TEETH

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30568, 10 October 1964, Page 1

TELLING DEER’S AGE BY ITS TEETH

Lower jaws of red deer from all parts of the country tare needed by Mr M. J. W. ■ Douglas, of the Forest Research Institute, New Zeai land Forest Service, Rangiora, to help him in a project for telling the age of a deer by its teeth. The only Information Mr Douglas needs along with a jaw is the date and locality of shooting and the animal's sex. The basis of the age estimation is the number of cement layers over the base of the teeth. After the first year, the layers are added to continually, with summer and winter deposits usually being distinguishable and so enabling the animal's age to be calculated.

Unfortunately, all the layers are not clearly distinguishable in every animal, and this could lead to serious underestimation of the age in certain cases. Mr Douglas wants to find in what circumstances the estimated age is likely to be reliable. He suspects that summer and winter deposits may not be as clearly distinguishable in areas where vegetation growth continues through the winter as in 1

places where there is a clear winter break. This is borne out by the fact that teeth from the two jaws he has been sent from the Cape Palliser area do not show marked layering. The oldest deer of which he has had fairly certain evidence of the age through its teeth was about 13 years old.