Impact of Ecology on the Teeth of Extant Lemurs: A Review of Dental Adaptations, Function, and Life History

Lemur dental morphology has been characterized by a number of workers (e.g., Godfrey et al., 2004a; Kay et al., 1978; Milton, 1978; Sauther et al., 2001; Schwartz and Tattersall, 1985; Seligsohn, 1977; e.g., Seligsohn and Szalay, 1974, 1978; Strait, 1993; Tattersall, 1982; Yamashita, 1998a,b) who have investigated these teeth from descriptive, functional, developmental, and ecological perspectives. In this chapter, we discuss how the external environment leaves an imprint on lemur dentitions, either through adaptations to the physical requirements of specific environments or through environmental effects during the lifetime of the animal. We also discuss the patterns of intraspecific dental variation in selected lemurs, and comment on the role of this variability in lemur taxonomy.