Cement furrows in the dentition of Mammuthus primigenius and the question of their etiology

Linear furrows have been documented in the crown cement of Mammuthus primigenius molars from the late Pleistocene archaeological sites of Kraków Spadzista Street (B), Poland and Vogelherd, Germany. The high frequency of cement defects on these assemblages, 50% and 74% of the molars respectively, and on other fossil proboscidean teeth from Eurasia warrants investigation into their etiology. One possible cause of the furrows is a developmental defect such as hypoplasia, due to periodic physiological stress; such a causal factor could have broad implications for the life history of woolly mammoths. Other potential origins of the furrows include cement decay from infection or impaction of material in the gums and resorption of tooth cement. Apart from cause, the morphology of the cement furrows reflects regular rhythms of seasonal or annual formation.