The mesowear method evaluates the wear patterns of herbivore cheek teeth by 2 visually evaluating the facet development of the occlusal surfaces. It thus allows 3 classification of most herbivorous ungulates into browsers, grazers or intermediate 4 feeders, due to the fact that in grazers, tooth wear is characterized by a 5 comparatively high degree of abrasion, most probably due to the presence of 6 silicacious phytoliths in grasses, a higher amount of dust and grit adhering to their 7 forage, or both. It has been suggested that excessive tooth wear could be a 8 particularly limiting factor in the husbandry of captive large browsing species, and 9 major tooth wear was demonstrated in captive as compared to free-ranging giraffe. If 10 this increased tooth wear in captivity was an effect of feeding type and diets fed, then 11 it would be expected that other browsing species are affected in a similar manner. In 12 order to test this hypothesis, we investigated the dental mesowear pattern in captive 13 individuals of 19 ruminant species and compared the results to data on free-ranging 14 animals. Compared to free-ranging populations, captive browsers show a 15 significantly more abrasion-dominated tooth wear signal. The reverse applies to 16 captive grazers, which tend to show a less abrasion-dominated wear in captivity. 17Captive ruminants were generally more homogenous in their wear signature than 18 free-ranging ruminants. If grit contamination in the natural habitat is a major cause of 19 dental wear in grazers, then diets in captivity, although similar in botanical 20 composition, most likely contain less abrasives due to feeding hygiene. If dental wear 21 is one of the major factors limiting longevity, then captive grazers should achieve 22 longer lifespans than both captive browsers and free-ranging grazers. In particular 23 with respect to browsers, the results suggest that captive feeding regimes could be 24 improved.
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