Forensic Taphonomy - Animal activity

Forensic Taphonomy

Marco Bertolini

From MOOC FORENSIC ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY - Durham University - Teesside University - Future Learn

Animal activity

Burrowing animals

difficult to assess

if the burial is

ancient

modern

can displace bones

from the grave

Indoor pets

Dogs & Cats

can eat viscera

which can mask the cause of death

can eat through

ribcage

clavicles

ignore clothed areas

focus on soft tissues

head

face

patterns slightly different

wild animals

Birds

patterns

stringy

fluffy

eyes

can be mistaken for

ritual

sadistic murder

scavenge human remains

etc.

vultures

crows

Rodents

gnaw bones

leave parallel flat-bottomed grooves (striae) from their central incisors

remove soft tissues

can mimic

defense wounds

entrance wounds

Insects

The destruction of the body by insects

see the Website

Forensic Entomology

good indicator of

Post Mortem Interval

Most damage through

little beetles

maggots

flies

remove the soft tissues causing massive tissue loss

Underwater animals

Sometimes damage from fish can be mistaken for peri-mortem trauma

sharks traces look like plane crash injuries

see report

Dr Agathe Ribereau-Gayon

can cause intense damage to immersed bodies

Canines

Transport bones

at distance

depending

surrounding environment

size of the animal

leave distinctive marks on bones

furrows

scores

pits

punctures

tend to focus on the soft tissue

Consistant order

Sections of the body attacked

Second

disarticulation of limbs

vertebral column

the last part remaining

forelimbs

First

Throat

Buttocks

Chest

Abdomen

Scavenging

Lots of variables

Location of the body

environment

aquatic

urban

rural

outdoor

inside

Temperature

Time of the season

time of the day

one of the most destructive post-mortem processes