Reconstruction of individual life histories of rodents from their teeth and bone

Age changes of bone tissue and molar cementum, and formation of daily layers in dentin of incisors enable us to estimate age and maximum lifespan, season of birth, season of death, sexual maturation, sex in adults, and in combination with tetracycline prebaiting, movements and space distribution of rodents. In hibernating rodents, the hibernation zone formed in incisor dentin can be used to assess inter- and intra­population variations in seasonal activity and growth. This approach is illustrated by examples from the study of rodents of the genera Apodemus and Sicista.