Bisoniana 111. Supernumerary teeth in a captive population of American bison Bison bison

Abstract

A link between dental abnormalities and loss of genetic variation has been reported for unconfined populations of American bison Bison bison (Linnaeus, 1758) but not for captive populations. From a zoo herd with a small founder population and likely history of inbreeding, we report the first recorded occurrence of dental abnormalities in captive bison and the first case of supernumerary second premolars in bison.