OG 12 RC p.360
I don't understand how
" ...the researchers dismissedd demographic bias because older individuals were not overrepresented in the fossil
samples" = (implies that) "older carnivores would be expected to have more tooth fractures"
OG 12 RC p.360
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The tooth fractures in older carnivores could be due to old age , wear and tear or both. In a carnivore the teeth is their main weapon , the tool to snap a prey's neck. Also there table manner includes tearing of flesh and crunching of bones. And a life time of such pursuits will wear and grind their teeth.
What they found in the sample was that the breakage frequencies was higher than normal. One possiblity is that the sample size consisted of old carnivores and a bias creeps into the finding. Such was not the case as older individuals were not overrepresented. There should be other explanations.
What they found in the sample was that the breakage frequencies was higher than normal. One possiblity is that the sample size consisted of old carnivores and a bias creeps into the finding. Such was not the case as older individuals were not overrepresented. There should be other explanations.