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Review
. 2024 Jan 22;14(2):343.
doi: 10.3390/ani14020343.

Methodology Advances in Vertebrate Age Estimation

Yifei Zhang  1   2 , Jinping Bi  1   2 , Yao Ning  1   2 , Jiang Feng  1   2   3   4
Affiliations
Review

Methodology Advances in Vertebrate Age Estimation

Yifei Zhang et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Age is a core metric in vertebrate management, and the correct estimation of the age of an individual plays a principal role in comprehending animal behavior, identifying genealogical information, and assessing the potential reproductive capacity of populations. Vertebrates have a vertebral column and a distinct head containing a developed brain; they have played an important role in the study of biological evolution. However, biological age estimations constantly exhibit large deviations due to the diversity of vertebrate taxon species, sample types, and determination methods. To systematically and comprehensively understand age estimation methods in different situations, we classify the degree of damage to vertebrates during sample collection, present the sample types and their applications, list commonly applied methods, present methodological recommendations based on the combination of accuracy and implementability, and, finally, predict future methods for vertebrate age assessments, taking into account the current level of research and requirements. Through comprehensive data gathering and compilation, this work serves as an introduction and summary for those who are eager to catch up on related fields and facilitates the rapid and accurate selection of an evaluation method for researchers engaged in related research. This is essential to promote animal conservation and guide the smooth implementation of conservation management plans.

Keywords: accuracy assessment; age estimation; conservation biology; methodology; vertebrates.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Basic anatomy of derived fishes. All alternative structures are labeled based on their anatomical locations (Cited and modified from Tzadik et al., 2017 [82]).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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