Canine "honing" in Australopithecus afarensis.
The maxillary canines of Australopithecus afarensis show a distal wear facet that extends from the apex of the crown to a point near the distal cingulum. Although these facets bear a superficial resemblance to the honing facets found on the projecting portions of the canines of other anthropoids, a more detailed examination provided in this paper shows that they are not homologous or functionally equivalent. The facets are not related to the use of the maxillary canine as a weapon or as an additional masticatory surface. Instead, their presence in A. afarensis represented a blunting or dulling of the posterior edge of C so that its occlusion with P3 would be consistent with cheek tooth occlusion.
Greenfield
L O
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Department of Anthropology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122.
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003481:Cuspid / Q000473:pathology*; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D005260:Female; D005580:Fossils; D000882:Haplorhini / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D049690:History, Ancient; D015186:Hominidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010161:Paleodontology; D010163:Paleontology; D014072:Tooth Abrasion / Q000473:pathology