Notice on the Ocurrence of Supernumerary Teeth in the Two-toad Sloths Choloepus didactylus and C. hoffmanni

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2012

Abstract

Supernumerary teeth occur in nearly all modern mammalian orders, although no previous cases have been published for extant pilosans. We report here three specimens of the sloth genus Choloepus, two C. hoffmanni and one C. didactylus, exhibiting supernumerary teeth. All duplicated teeth are maxillary, and all but one on the right side. One C. hoffmanni bears an additional left tooth, suggesting duplication is neither species nor toothrow-side specific. Sloth teeth erupt as simple rounded cones and the different "cusp" patterns characteristic of each extant and extinct genus arise from wear and the differential spacing of upper versus lower dentitions.

Publication Title

Mastozoologia Neotropical

Volume

19

Issue

2

First Page

339

Last Page

344

Comments

This article was published in Mastozoologia Neotropical, Volume 19, Issue 2, Pages 339-344.

The published version is available at http://www.sarem.org.ar/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/SAREM_MastNeotrop_19-2_16_McAfee.pdf.

Copyright © 2012.

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