Bison m3 Molars

Two Bison sp. third lower molars of different age. This is the last tooth to emerge at maturity. The younger individual had not worn its teeth much . . . tooth wear has not reached the diagnostic isolated stylid.

The older individual has worn its teeth enough to engage the isolated stylid. Note that the tooth of the older individual retains some cementum. In life, all the bison cheek teeth were wrapped in cementum. Being the softest of the three types of tooth components (enamel, dentin, and cementum), this exterior 'wrapper' is often lost on a fossil.

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