USE OF CANINE PULP CAVITY SIZE IN SEPARATING JUVENILE AND ADULT WOLVERINES (GULO-GULO)

Using 360 harvested wolverines, we examined techniques to separate juv enile and adult age classes using canine pulp cavity size or ossificat ion of cranial sutures, and assessed which of 3 tooth types provides t he most reliable counts of cementum annuli. Greatest confidence in age estimates from counts of cementum annuli were obtained using lower ca nine teeth rather than first premolars or third incisors. Percent clos ure of internasal or zygomatic sutures separated 71-100% of sex and ag e classes into juveniles and adults. While percent pulp cavity (pulp w idth/tooth width x 100) of canines decreased with age, overlap in tole rance limits among all adult year classes meant that percent pulp was only useful in separating juveniles (less-than-or-equal-to 16 months) from adults (> 18 months). Calculated percent pulp dividing points bet ween juveniles and adults (juveniles > dividing point) were 51.7% and 45.6% for males and females, respectively. These dividing points corre ctly aged > 97% of wolverines as juveniles or adults. Examination of p ercent pulp may provide a relatively rapid, inexpensive and reliable m ethod for identifying juvenile and adult age classes of wolverines in the harvest.