Craniodental Allometry in the African Wild Cat, Felis lybica

Abstract

Allometric relations of tooth size to jaw size and skull length were evaluated in Felis lybica . Tooth length and width were scaled to bimaxillary width, maxillo-alveolar length, mandibular length, and bigonial width, and to skull length. Females have less covariation between tooth size and jaw size than males. Maxillary canine size in males scaled positively allometric to skull length and near isometric to maxillary length. Upper canine size and skull size in females were not related. Maxillary postcanine teeth in males scale negatively, hence larger animals tend to have relatively smaller postcanine teeths. Lower canine size appears related to mandibular length only, scaling negatively in females and positively in males. Mandibular postcanines show little covariation with cranial characters; when correlated, the relationship is positively allometric or near isometry.