Forensic Taphonomy

Rattenbury, Amy E.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-809360-3.00002-3

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…This is of particular importance for carcasses found in water. They may be better conserved than those found on a dry surface [51], which might indicate the importance of ASF-contaminated carcasses in wet places as long-lasting potential sources of infection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating the Postmortem Interval of Wild Boar Carcasses

Probst

Gethmann

Amendt

et al. 2020

Veterinary Sciences

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Knowledge on the postmortem interval (PMI) of wild boar (Sus scrofa) carcasses is crucial in the event of an outbreak of African swine fever in a wild boar population. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the decomposition process of this species in different microhabitats is necessary. We describe the decomposition process of carcasses exposed in cages. Trial 1 compared a wild boar and a domestic pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) under similar conditions; Trial 2 was performed with three wild boar piglets in the sunlight, shade, or in a wallow, and Trial 3 with two adult wild boar in the sun or shade. The wild boar decomposed more slowly than the domestic pig, which shows that standards derived from forensic studies on domestic pigs are not directly applicable to wild boar. The carcasses exposed to the sun decomposed faster than those in the shade did, and the decomposition of the carcass in the wallow took longest. To assess the state of decomposition, we adapted an existing total body scoring system originally developed for humans. Based on our studies, we propose a checklist tailored to wild boar carcasses found in the field that includes the most important information for a reliable PMI estimation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating the Postmortem Interval of Wild Boar Carcasses

Probst

Gethmann

Amendt

et al. 2020

Veterinary Sciences

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“…Adipocere (i.e., grave or corpse wax) is the product of lipid saponification in the body by bacteria, which results in a gray‐white, waxy, and later crumbly, substance. Studies have related increased adipocere formation to the presence of Clostridium (e.g., Firmicutes, Clostridia, and Clostridiaceae) in warm anaerobic environments, due to the production of lecithinase [59,60]. As previously mentioned, dark staining on the bones was observed; however, the discoloration was more prevalent on scapula samples.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postmortem submersion interval (PMSI) estimation from the microbiome of sus scrofa bone in a freshwater lake

Cartozzo

Singh

Swall

et al. 2021

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Human remains may be found in, and subsequently recovered from aquatic environments due to natural land erosion (from both modern and archeological cemeteries on flood plains), accidents (drownings as well as boating and/or ferry disasters), criminal activities (intentional drowning or disposal of remains), suicides, or natural disasters (e.g., Hurricane Katrina) [1,2]. The aquatic decomposition cycle, which may include periods of floating, submersion, and fluvial transportation, may make the discovery and recovery of remains

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“…After death, in a process termed algor mortis , the body of a homeothermic, vertebrate animal undergoes progressive cooling toward the ambient temperature, following an initial stable temperature plateau. In the case of humans, a ‘rule of thumb’ is that the body cools at rate of about 1°C per hour, but the actual rate is quite variable depending on a wide range of factors (Rattenbury 2018). For an animal the size of a bison, there are no data regarding the postmortem body cooling rate (Brooks and Sutton 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

THE BISON AND THE BLOW FLY: USING PUPARIA OF THE BLACK BLOW FLY (PHORMIA REGINA: DIPTERA, CALLIPHORIDAE) TO CONSTRAIN THE SEASON OF DEATH AND TAPHONOMIC HISTORY OF AN EARLY HISTORIC-AGE BISON, CARSON CITY, NEVADA, USA

Rowland

Whitworth

JONES

et al. 2023

Palaios

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We report the occurrence of abundant dipteran puparia of Phormia regina, the black blow fly, in association with an early historic-age bison skeleton excavated near Carson City, Nevada. Cut marks on some of the bones indicate that the bison was butchered and probably skinned by humans. Radiocarbon dating provides two possible age intervals for the death of the bison: (1) latest seventeenth to early eighteenth century or (2) early nineteenth to early twentieth century; we consider the more recent age to be more plausible. The purpose of this study is to explore how the presence of puparia of this well-studied, necrophagous fly species can be used to help constrain the season of death and inform the interpretation of the taphonomic history of the bison. The life cycle of P. regina requires a minimum of 8.8 days within a temperature range of 14°C to 35°C, so the bison carcass must have been exposed to the air for at least that long within that temperature range. However, of the thousands of recovered puparia, 35% remain closed and did not produce adult flies; of this cohort, only a tiny percentage exhibit small exit holes attributable to parasitoid wasps. Cold temperatures, and not parasitoid wasps, are the most probable cause of the high pupal mortality. Climate data for the region, along with P. regina temperature constraints and streamflow and flooding records for the Carson River watershed, indicate that the bison died and was colonized by black blow flies in the spring, when night-time temperatures were low. A short time later the skinned and butchered skeleton was buried by floodplain sediments. Blow fly puparia can contribute useful information for the taphonomic analysis of vertebrate fossil sites.

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Forensic Taphonomy

Cited by 8 publications

References 49 publications

Estimating the Postmortem Interval of Wild Boar Carcasses

Estimating the Postmortem Interval of Wild Boar Carcasses

Postmortem submersion interval (PMSI) estimation from the microbiome of sus scrofa bone in a freshwater lake

THE BISON AND THE BLOW FLY: USING PUPARIA OF THE BLACK BLOW FLY (PHORMIA REGINA: DIPTERA, CALLIPHORIDAE) TO CONSTRAIN THE SEASON OF DEATH AND TAPHONOMIC HISTORY OF AN EARLY HISTORIC-AGE BISON, CARSON CITY, NEVADA, USA

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