Cementum Annulus Counts Provide a Means for Age Determination in Macaca mulatta (Primates, Anthropoidea)

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Abstract
14 teeth of 8 rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) of known age were analyzed to assess the usefulness of cementum annuli counts as a means of estimating chronological age. Methods used were histological examination of stained thin sections by light microscopy, and examination of polished and etched epoxy-embedded sections by scanning electron microscopy. In 11 of 14 cases, the known chronological ages of the individuals fell within the predicted age ranges based on cementum annuli counts; in 2 other cases, it fell within half a year of the ranges. Cementum annulus counts can provide valuable information about the age of primates living in semitropical environments. This is the most accurate method for aging skele-tally adult primates that has yet been tested on animals of known age.