Comparative Osteology: A Laboratory and Field Guide of Common North American Animals

Description

In the forensic context it is quite common for nonhuman bones to be confused with human remains and end up in the medical examiner or coroner system. It is also quite common for skeletal remains (both human and nonhuman) to be discovered in archaeological contexts. While the difference between human and nonhuman bones is often very striking, it can also be quite subtle. Fragmentation only compounds the problem. The ability to differentiate between human and nonhuman bones is dependent on the training of the analyst and the available reference and/or comparative material.

Comparative Osteology is a photographic atlas of common North American animal bones designed for use as a laboratory and field guide by the forensic scientist or archaeologist. The intent of the guide is not to be inclusive of all animals, but rather to present some of the most common species which also have the highest likelihood of being potentially confused with human remains.

Key Features

• An affordably priced, compact laboratory/field manual, comparing human and nonhuman bones.
• Contains almost 600 high-quality black and white images and diagrams, including inch and centimeter scales with each photograph.
• Written by the foremost forensic scientists with decades of experience in the laboratory and as expert witnesses.
• An additional Companion Web site hosts images from the volume the reader can magnify and zoom into to see specific landmarks and features on bones.

Readership

Forensic anthropologists/osteologists, medical examiners/coroners, forensic professionals in law enforcement and academia, archaeologists, students in biological, biophysical, biomedical and paleontological sciences.

Quotes

"At long last we now have a well illustrated, comprehensive photographic guide to distinguish human skeletal remains from a wide range of common animal species. Most previous guides to determine whether a bone was human or animal illustrated a very small number of non-human species.

This atlas also illustrates a range of butchery marks and includes prehistoric (stone tools) and historic (metal cleavers, saws and knife marks) found on bones. In addition, Adams and Crabtree illustrate both adult and juvenile animal bones as well as adult and sub-adult human bones.

This book is a must for the library of all osteologists or biological scientists called upon to identify human and non-human skeletal remains."
-William Bass, Retired, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1: Introduction, Scope of Book, and Credits
• Introduction
• Archaeological Context
• Forensic Context
• Book Terminology and Organization
• Background of the Specimens Included in this Book
• Photographic Credits

• Chapter 2: Crania
• Crania of Large Species
• Adult Human
• Horse
• Cow
• Bear
• Deer
• Pig
• Goat
• Sheep
• Dog
• Crania of Small Species
• Newborn Human
• Raccoon
• Opossum
• Cat
• Rabbit
• Duck
• Chicken

• Chapter 3: Humeri
• Humeri of Large Species
• Adult Human
• Horse
• Bear
• Cow
• Pig
• Dog
• Deer
• Sheep
• Goat
• Humeri of Small Species
• Newborn Human
• Turkey
• Duck
• Raccoon
• Cat
• Opossum
• Rabbit
• Chicken

• Chapter 4: Radii and Ulnae
• Radii and Ulnae of Large Species
• Adult Human
• Horse
• Cow
• Bear
• Pig
• Deer
• Dog
• Sheep
• Goat
• Radii and Ulnae of Small Species
• Newborn Human
• Turkey
• Raccoon
• Cat
• Duck
• Opossum
• Chicken
• Rabbit

• Chapter 5: Femora
• Femora of Large Species
• Adult Human
• Horse
• Cow
• Bear
• Pig
• Deer
• Dog
• Sheep
• Goat
• Femora of Small Species
• Newborn Human
• Raccoon
• Turkey
• Cat
• Rabbit
• Opossum
• Chicken
• Duck

• Chapter 6: Tibiae
• Tibiae of Large Species
• Adult Human
• Horse
• Cow
• Bear
• Deer
• Dog
• Sheep
• Pig
• Goat
• Tibiae of Small Species
• Newborn Human
• Turkey
• Chicken
• Duck
• Raccoon
• Cat
• Rabbit
• Opossum

• Chapter 7: Human (Homo sapiens)
• Cranium
• Humerus
• Radius
• Ulna
• Femur
• Tibia
• Fibula
• Scapula
• Sternum
• Pelvis
• Sacrum
• Vertebrae
• Metacarpals, Metatarsals, and Tarsals

• Chapter 8: Horse (Equus caballus)
• Cranium
• Humerus
• Radius/Ulna
• Femur
• Tibia
• Fibula
• Scapula
• Sternum
• Pelvis
• Vertebrae
• Metacarpus and Metatarsus

• Chapter 9: Cow (Bos taurus and Bos indicus)
• Cranium
• Humerus
• Radius/Ulna
• Femur
• Tibia
• Scapula
• Pelvis
• Metacarpus, Metatarsus, and Tarsals

• Chapter 10: Bear (Ursus americanus)
• Cranium
• Humerus
• Radius
• Ulna
• Femur
• Tibia
• Fibula
• Scapula
• Sternum
• Pelvis
• Sacrum
• Vertebrae
• Metacarpals, Metatarsals, and Tarsals

• Chapter 11: Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
• Cranium
• Humerus
• Radius
• Ulna
• Femur
• Tibia
• Scapula
• Pelvis
• Sacrum
• Vertebrae
• Metacarpus, Metatarsus, and Tarsals

• Chapter 12: Pig (Sus scrofa)
• Cranium
• Humerus
• Radius/Ulna
• Femur
• Tibia
• Fibula
• Scapula
• Sternum
• Pelvis
• Vertebrae
• Metacarpals, Metatarsals, and Tarsals

• Chapter 13: Goat (Capra hircus)
• Cranium
• Humerus
• Radius
• Ulna
• Femur
• Tibia
• Scapula
• Pelvis
• Metacarpus and Metatarsus

• Chapter 14: Sheep (Ovis aries)
• Cranium
• Humerus
• Radius/Ulna
• Femur
• Tibia
• Scapula
• Pelvis
• Sacrum
• Metacarpus, Metatarsus, and Tarsals

• Chapter 15: Dog (Canis familiaris)
• Cranium
• Humerus
• Radius
• Ulna
• Femur
• Tibia
• Fibula
• Scapula
• Pelvis
• Sacrum
• Vertebrae

• Chapter 16: Raccoon (Procyon lotor)
• Cranium
• Humerus
• Radius
• Ulna
• Femur
• Tibia
• Scapula
• Pelvis
• Vertebrae and Baculum

• Chapter 17: Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
• Cranium and Mandible
• Humerus
• Radius
• Ulna
• Femur
• Tibia
• Fibula
• Scapula
• Pelvis
• Vertebrae

• Chapter 18: Cat (Felis catus)
• Cranium
• Humerus
• Radius
• Ulna
• Femur
• Tibia
• Fibula
• Scapula
• Pelvis
• Vertebrae

• Chapter 19: Rabbit (Sylvilagus carolinensis and Oryctolagus cunniculus)
• Cranium
• Humerus
• Radius/Ulna
• Femur
• Tibia/Fibula
• Scapula
• Pelvis
• Sacrum
• Vertebra

• Chapter 20: Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
• Humerus
• Radius
• Ulna
• Femur
• Tibiotarsus
• Fibula
• Pectoral Girdle
• Pelvis
• Synsacrum
• Carpometacarpus

• Chapter 21: Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)
• Cranium
• Humerus
• Radius
• Ulna
• Femur
• Tibia
• Fibula
• Pectoral Girdle
• Sternum
• Pelvis
• Synsacrum
• Carpometacarpus and Tarsometatarsus

• Chapter 22: Chicken (Gallus gallus)
• Cranium
• Humerus
• Radius
• Ulna
• Femur
• Tibiotarsus
• Fibula
• Pectoral Girdle
• Sternum
• Pelvis
• Carpometacarpus and Tarsometatarsus

• Chapter 23: Miscellaneous Animals
• Subadult Skeletal Elements
• Adult Skeletal Elements
• Rat
• Bobcat
• Fox
• Turtle

• Chapter 24: Traces of Butchery and Bone Working
• Introduction
• Modern Butchery: Eighteenth Century to Present
• Butchery Using Cleavers and Heavy Knives
• Prehistoric Butchery
• Bone as a Raw Material

Author Information

Bradley Adams, Forensic Anthropologist, New York City, NY
Pam Crabtree, Department of Anthropology, Center for the Study of Human Origins, New York University, New York, NY