Tusk weight-age curve
Definition
A species- and sex-specific regression of tusk mass against age, derived from known-age wild elephant records. Allows investigators to estimate the age at death of an elephant from its tusk's mass and length.
Related terms
- Lines of arrested growth (LAGs)
- Alternating dense and loose concentric rings in bone cortex visible in histological cross-section, analogous to tree rings. Each LAG marks a period...
- Population assignment
- A genetic method that compares a specimen's microsatellite or SNP profile to reference databases of known-origin individuals, assigning the specimen to the...
- Radiocarbon dating (C-14)
- Age determination from the ratio of radioactive carbon-14 to stable carbon-12 in organic material. Atmospheric C-14 spiked during nuclear testing (1950s-1960s), allowing...
- Skeletochronology
- Age estimation from growth rings (lines of arrested growth, LAGs) in bone cross-sections. Reliable in reptiles and fish; less so in mammals....
- Stable isotope analysis
- Measurement of the ratios of stable isotopes (typically strontium-87/86, oxygen-18/16, carbon-13/12) in tissue. These ratios reflect local geology, hydrology, and diet, providing...
Explained in
- Ageing, Sexing, and Geographic Provenance of SpecimensA species- and sex-specific regression of tusk mass against age, derived from known-age wild elephant records. Allows investigators to estimate the age at deat...