An Experimental Study of Vertebrate Scavenging Behavior in a Northwest European Woodland Context

Abstract

Vertebrate scavengers can modify surface deposited human remains which can hinder forensic investigations. The effects of such scavenging vary between species and regions. Published research into the effects of the scavenging of human remains is dominated by work from North America with few studies covering Northwestern Europe. Forensic scientists, investigators, and police search officers in Northwestern Europe are often left questioning on a basic level as to which scavengers are active and how they might affect human remains. This paper presents the results of a field study utilizing deer (Cervus nippon; Capreolus capreolus) as surface deposits observed by motion detection cameras in a British woodland. The most common avian and rodent scavenger species recorded included the buzzard (Buteo buteo), carrion crow (Corvus corone), wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), and gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). The scavenging behaviors observed were affected by seasonality, rates of decomposition, and insect activity. Scavenging by buzzards, unlike carrion crows, was most frequent during fall to winter and prior to insect activity. Overall, avian scavengers modified and scavenged soft tissue. Rodents scavenged both fresh and skeletonized remains with gray squirrels only scavenging skeletal remains. Wood mice were most active in winter and scavenged both soft tissue and bone.

An Investigation of Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and Eurasian Badger (Meles meles) Scavenging, Scattering, and Removal of Deer Remains: Forensic Implications and Applications

“…Within northwest Europe and specifically within Britain, the red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ) and the Eurasian Badger ( Meles meles ), henceforth referred to as fox and badger within this paper, are the most common wild scavengers which have the potential to rapidly modify and disperse a set of remains through scavenging and disarticulation. Avian scavengers, such as carrion crow ( Corvus corone ) and buzzard ( Buteo buteo ), are also common scavengers in this region . However, they disperse remains to a lesser extent than foxes and badgers, as well as produce a different pattern of modification through scavenging .…”

Scavenger Species‐typical Alteration to Bone: Using Bite Mark Dimensions to Identify Scavengers

“…However, it is possible to utilize deer as animal analogues in forensic studies seeking to recreate outdoor crime scene scenarios in the U.K. because deer are wildlife and do not present a risk in the spread of disease to domestic livestock (42). Previous studies using deer as human proxies did show some similarities in the scavenging behavior and patterns of different scavenger species toward deer and human remains (10,11,43).…”

“…Nevertheless, Young et al. indicated that remains initially deposited as fresh can be further scavenged and modified when skeletonized, so it is important to also analyze bite marks produced on dry bones.…”

“…• Hypothesis 1) Wild red foxes were observed in Young et al (10,11) as the most frequent wild mammalian scavengers of surface deposited deer (Cervus nippon; Capreolus capreolus) in the U.K. The scavenging behaviors of captive red foxes toward pig (Sus scrofa) bones were also observed for comparison in the same study (11).…”

“…Moreover, regardless of such factors scavenger species within the same family are theorized to produce the same bite marks on bone surfaces. Different scavenger species within the same family can have different tooth dimensions, bite forces, jaw muscle strength, and scavenging behaviors and patterns, as well as be differently affected by various factors, which can affect the type of bite marks produced on bone surfaces (9)(10)(11)20). This paper addresses three hypotheses relating to scavengerproduced bite marks on surface deposited skeletal remains:…”