An Allometric Perspective on Primate Postcanine Tooth Size

Abstract

The allometric relations of postcanine tooth size were evaluated in a sample of 66 adult Galago crassicaudatus (34 males, 32 females). Postcanine tooth area and length (estimated from mesiodistal and buccolingual measurements of upper and lower cheek teeth) were scaled to 4 cranial measures: bimaxillary width, maxillo-alveolar length, mandibular length and bigonial width. Postcanine tooth size was also scaled to body weight, body length and total skull length. It was found that postcanine surface and length were significantly correlated to the cranial measures employed in females, showing positive allometric scaling. These correlations were, however, lacking in males. In neither sex was postcanine size found to be significantly correlated to body length or weight.