Bison. Pen and ink drawing by Laura Friis.
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Cementum Age Analysis

Black Bear Reproductive Histories

For Hunters & Outfitters

Legal Evidence Uses

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Artist Laura Friis

Artist Nami Bittner

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Pre-shipment Checklist for Teeth and Calcified Tissue

      • Indicate species.

      • Use the species-specific standard tooth type or indicate substitutions.

      • Bundle envelopes together in groups to match the master inventory list.

      • Enclose the master inventory list.

        • Group the species. (Fisher canines: group genders.)
        • List numbers in serial order
        • Indicate date of kill or of extraction from live animals.
        • Indicate gender for black bears (and any species for which a gender-specific age summary will be done.)

      • Computer diskettes: send Microsoft Excel files.

      Matson's Laboratory LLC
      US Post Office address:
      PO Box 308, Milltown MT 59851 USA
      Physical address for UPS, FedEx, and other couriers:
      8140 Flagler Road, Milltown MT 59851 USA
      Email address: gjmatson@montana.com


Description of Checklist Items:

  • Organize the specimens by species. Because of size and morphology differences, specimens of each species are processed separately. Package specimens of each species separately.

    • Matson's cementum aging models are species-specific. For example, white-tailed deer I1 and mule deer I1 are aged by different models because the teeth erupt at different ages in the two species.

  • Teeth should be packaged dry in small paper envelopes of approximately 8 x 14 cm (coin envelopes work well). Do not use preservative liquids, plastic bags, or vials. Put envelopes in serial order by identification number. Use rubber bands to bundle the envelopes together in groups of 10 or 20 so they will remain in serial order during transit.

  • Prepare an Inventory List. This list should correspond exactly to the organization of the envelopes so technicians can use it to confirm specimen identification at the start of laboratory processing. The list can be on either hard copy or diskette.

  • The inventory list should also include species identification of the specimens and an indication of date of kill. Exact dates should be recorded for days between February 1 and August 31.

  • The cementum age of an unidentified non-standard tooth type may be incorrect because the animal's age at the time of tooth eruption may differ from that of the standard type. Technicians may not always recognize a non-standard tooth, so each should be plainly designated on both the tooth envelope and on the master inventory list. View photo of recommended sample organization.

  • Package specimens only in containers of the strongest cardboard or, for small orders, in padded envelopes. Light cardboard cartons will often be crushed and torn during postal handling. Paper envelopes will be torn by postal service canceling machines and the contents will by lost. Pad the shipments with shipping "popcorn" or paper to help keep the envelope bundles intact. View photo of recommended packaging technique.

  • Ship packages properly. US shipments sent by the US Postal Service should use "PO Box 308, Milltown MT 59851" as the shipping address. Shipment sent by other carriers such as UPS and FedEx should use "8140 Flagler Road, Milltown MT 59851" as the shipping address. View photo of recommended shipping container.

Adding late additions to a sample:

Matson's will accept without extra charge up to two spearate later additions to a sample of teeth for which processing has already begun.

Additions cannot be accepted indefinitely because of the substantial time investment to document and schedule each order, regardless of its size, and to track and finally unite the separate parts started at different times.

Additions received near the scheduled completion date will have to be treated as a new sample.

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Matson's Laboratory LLC
8140 Flagler Road
PO Box 308
Milltown MT 59851
Phone/Fax (406)258-6286 | Email: ittw@montana.com

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