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Work measurement and testing the teeth of living primates could open a window into the behavior of the earliest ancestors of humans, based on their fossil remains reviews. The study by the National Science Foundation grants and by anthropologist Michael Plavcan, leading the University of Arkansas, brought us closer to understanding the relationship between canine teeth, body size and life of primates.

In an article published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Plavcan and colleague Christopher B. Ruff, John Hopkins School of Medicine, presented the preliminary examination of the shape function of canine teeth in primates . This is a comparative analysis was published for the first time on the strength of canine teeth primates.

Understanding more about the function of canine teeth can lead to new models to help understand human evolution. Plavcan has been studying primate teeth and skulls for 24 years and spent four years collecting dental data for this analysis.

The researchers compared the size, shape and strength of canine teeth from 144 primates with similar measurements taken from 45 carnivores interesting science facts. They examined the relationship between the size of primates' canines to body size and strength of the teeth respectively. This comparison may help answer the calculations of the function of the male primate canines during the competition with the children. Canines used as weapons or simply for display?

"The reason we want to use the teeth of carnivores is that we know carnivores use the fangs to kill its prey. If primates' canines are too weak to function as weapons, then they're just for show. "For the ape, the canines of males are 4 times as long their children. The researchers compared the canine teeth of male and female primates.

Plavcan said: "If the male's canines are stronger than females, it means that there is sexual selection for strength and teeth really be used as a weapon. Canines shorter ones, which are short and broad character, it is difficult to break. So if long canine teeth, thin males as strong or stronger than that of the children, it also shows that they can be used to fight. "

The results are not clear, but quite interesting.

"We discovered that the primate canines are generally as strong as or stronger than predators. But they are not related to judgments about sexual selection".

Generally the canines of males and females were equally strong. Knowing that the primates in general have healthy teeth penguins facts for kids, the researchers give two possible explanations. It could be that all primate males have strong teeth because their reproductive success is threatened when a broken fangs. Or it may be due to strong teeth genetic makeup.

Hominid (hominids), their human primates born today, retaining gender dimorphism in body weight, males typically have greater body weight than females. Meanwhile, the size difference of male canines and the lost.

Plavcan explained, "This goes back to the most ancient hominid. In fact, one of the characteristics predict the evolution of hominids is reduced canine size dimorphism while maintaining dimorphism in body weight".

For example, gorillas have big teeth, and make corresponding short massive bodies. To get rates as other primates, a male gorilla's canines would have to 25cm long, and teeth will become too wide for its content.

This suggests that there may be limits on primate canines simply because of spatial constraints to the teeth fit into the function some amazing facts. The difference in body size between male and female hominids has been the subject of research long as it is an obvious characteristics and importance. Yet there are drawbacks of using body size to understand sexual selection. The change in body size can affect many other aspects of life, including the process of metabolism, food consumption habits and the risk of predator attack. However, the canine is a much simpler system.

"With canines, we can construct an experiment that allows us to control all the variables and focus on one thing. Similar phenomena occur with canines, we can deduce body weight and behavioral models for the fossil record".