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Tooth succession in the greater cane rat Thryonomys swinderianus (Temminck, 1827)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2000

M. van der Merwe
M. van der Merwe
Affiliation:
Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
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Abstract

Tooth succession was followed in captive greater cane rats Thryonomys swinderianus of known ages with the aid of regular radiographs. The incisors and single premolar tooth (dP 4/4) in each quadrant are persistent deciduous teeth that are not replaced by permanent teeth. Tooth succession is relatively slow, with eruption of the lower cheek teeth in advance of the upper ones. During the first 5 months of post-natal development, three cheek teeth per quadrant become functional. Another 5 months elapse before the fourth cheek tooth erupts. The same slow growth can be seen in the increase in mass, which only doubles 5 months after puberty (5 months).

Keywords

tooth successiontooth eruptiongreater cane ratThryonomys swinderianus
Type
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Information
Journal of Zoology , Volume 251 , Issue 4 , August 2000 , pp. 535 - 547
Copyright
© 2000 The Zoological Society of London

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