Dental microwear analysis is a method to infer diet and behavior in extinct animals, especially in fossil specimens. [1] It has been used on a variety of taxa, including hominids, [2] [3] canids, [4] bears, [5] horses, [6] tragulids, [7] varanids, [8] and elasmobranchs. [9] Typically, the patterns of pits and scratches on the occlusal or buccal surface of the enamel are compared with patterns observed in extant species to infer ecological information. [10] [6] Hard foods in particular can lead to distinctive patterns (although see below). Microwear can also be used for inferring behavior, especially those related to the non-masticatory use of teeth as 'tools'. Other uses include investigating weaning in past populations. [11] Methods used to collect data initially involved a microscope and manually collecting information on individual microwear features, but software to automatically collect data have improved markedly in recent years. [12]