Occurence of Upper Canines in Mountain Sheep, Ovis canadensis

Abstract

Discovery of upper canines or their alveoli in three specimens of mountain sheep led me to search for records of these teeth in sheep and their relatives. Most references concerning the teeth of the Bovidae (antelope, sheep, and cattle) state that upper canines are absent. Actually, exceptions to this rule have been recorded, but they are few. Major (Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1904, 419-422) reviewed the records previously published and added some new ones. His paper appears to be the most important one on the subject. According to it, upper canine teeth or their alveoli were found in the royal antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus), Abyssinian antelope (Ourebia montana [= Ourebia oribi]), dik-dik (Madoqua phillipsi), long-snouted dik-dik (Madoqua kirkii =fRhynchotragus kirkii}), springbok (Antidorcas euchore {=Antidorcas marsupialisl), several unidentified African antelopes, Indian antelope (Antilope picticauda), Himalayan goa (Gazella picticauda), Saiga antelope f=Saiga tatarica}, and chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra). In most instances the teeth were procumbent, did not cut the gums, and were found in foetal or young animals. Only in Neotragus pygmaeus did the teeth ever appear to be functional. Major was of the opinion that, although these rudimentary milk canines were usually functionless and lost early in life, they would be found to be normally present in all foetal and in most very young antelopes. L6nnberg (Arkiv f6r Zoologi, Stockholm, Band 29 B, no. 1, 1937, 1-3) disagreed with this opinion, since he found no traces of canines in some young and foetal skulls of several kinds of African antelopes and was rather of the opinion that the occurrence of canines in the Cavicornia was only sporadic. He also reported the presence of calcified canines in a young Grant's gazelle (Gazella granti) but stated that should not have remained very long, because the root shows distinctly that it is beginning to be reabsorbed.