title: Tooth wear, body mass index and management options for edentulous black flying-foxes (Pteropus alecto Gould) in the Townsville district, north Queensland, Australia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the relationship between a body mass index and tooth wear in the black flying-fox (Pteropus alecto Gould) to provide guidance on management of edentulous individuals by wildlife carers and veterinarians.
  
  
  METHODS
  Flying-foxes brought into care because of injury were weighed, their forearms measured and the state of their teeth evaluated. Measurements were analysed by Chi-square, ANOVA, t-tests and regression to identify any relationship between the body mass index and the condition of canine and molar teeth, as well as in relation to sex and season.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no statistically significant relationship between a bat's dentition state and the body mass index being used.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Townsville, the black flying-fox appears to experience a rapid decline in dental condition over time. Despite this, there is little indication that loss of teeth results in a decline in body condition. We attribute this to the dominance of floral foods in the bats' diet in Townsville and a lesser importance of hard fruit that requires intact dentition for consumption. Edentulousness on its own is not sufficient reason to euthanase black flying-foxes in either Townsville or similar relatively dry localities where blossom dominates the flying-fox diet.
authors.affiliation: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia; Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luly
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buettner
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thiriet
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gyuris
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002685:Chiroptera; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D011793:Queensland; D012621:Seasons; D057085:Tooth Wear / Q000150:complications / Q000662:veterinary*
keywords: Pteropus alecto; black flying-fox; body condition; diet; edentulousness; euthanasia; teeth