Tooth wear patterns among P. cinereus on St Bees Island in the humid Central Queensland Coast bio geographic region differ significantly from those observed in the sub-humid Brigalow Belt bio geographic region. Within the Brigalow Belt region, tooth-wear patterns among P. cinereus at Biloela, Springsure and Oakey are similar. The published method for the estimation of age based on tooth-wear from P. cinereus populations at Springsure and Oakey is applicable to the Biloela population but is not applicable to the St Bees Island population. It is concluded that, in Queensland at least, the tooth wear - age class classification should be verified with local data when applied in environments different from those of the Brigalow Belt. Further, the appropriateness of using a single tooth-wear classificatory scheme to establish the age of P. cinereus for transfer overseas is questioned.
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October 20 2011
Unusual patterns of tooth wear among koalas Phascolarctos cinereus from St Bees Island, Queensland, require re-evaluation of criteria for aging koalas by tooth-wear class Open Access
Alistair Melzer;
Alistair Melzer
1
Koala Research Centre of Central Queensland, CQ University, Bruce Highway, Rockhampton, Qld 4702
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William Ellis;
William Ellis
1
Koala Research Centre of Central Queensland, CQ University, Bruce Highway, Rockhampton, Qld 4702
2
San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, Zoological Society of San Diego, Escondido, CA, USA
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Greg Gordon;
Greg Gordon
4
Department of Environment and Resource Management, Brisbane, Qld 4001
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Gail Tucker;
Gail Tucker
1
Koala Research Centre of Central Queensland, CQ University, Bruce Highway, Rockhampton, Qld 4702
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Robyn Kindness;
Robyn Kindness
1
Koala Research Centre of Central Queensland, CQ University, Bruce Highway, Rockhampton, Qld 4702
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Frank Carrick
Frank Carrick
3
Koala Study Program, Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, The University of Queensland, Qld 4072
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Australian Zoologist (2011) 35 (3): 550–554.
Citation
Alistair Melzer, William Ellis, Greg Gordon, Gail Tucker, Robyn Kindness, Frank Carrick; Unusual patterns of tooth wear among koalas Phascolarctos cinereus from St Bees Island, Queensland, require re-evaluation of criteria for aging koalas by tooth-wear class. Australian Zoologist 1 January 2011; 35 (3): 550–554. doi: https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2011.006
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