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

Abstract

Scavenger‐induced alteration to bone occurs while scavengers access soft tissue and during the scattering and re‐scavenging of skeletal remains. Using bite mark, dimensional data to assist in the more accurate identification of a scavenger can improve interpretations of trauma and enhance search and recovery methods. This study analyzed bite marks produced on both dry and fresh surface deposited remains by wild and captive red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and Eurasian badger (Meles meles), as well as domestic dog (Canis familiaris). The bite marks produced by foxes were distinguishable from those made by badgers and dogs based on ranges of mean length and breadth of pits. The dimensional data of bite marks produced by badgers and dogs were less discernible. Bone modifications vary due to a variety of factors which must be considered, such as scavenger species‐typical scavenging behavior, scavenger species' dentition, condition and deposition of remains, and environmental factors.

Postmortem Animal Attacks on Human Corpses

“…The animal uses this region as a fulcrum, counteracts the weight of the corpse, and rapidly shakes its head repetitively from right to left and vice versa to pluck the tissue and creates stretch-rupture defects [25]. Canidae may cause pit, puncture, score, and furrow-type bite marks on the bone surface [33]. Various breeds of dogs in the same family may have diverse teeth size, jaw, bite strength, scavenging behavior, and pattern, which affect the configuration of bite marks on the bone surface [82][83][84].…”

“…If postmortem feeding is prolonged, then the scavenger may have left teeth marks on the victim's bones. Basically, bite marks caused by predatory animals include pits, punctures, scores, and furrows [33]. Pits are caused by collapsing of the bone under masticatory forces created by the tip of the teeth during chewing act, but they do not penetrate into the bone cortex [34][35][36][37].…”

“…Scorings are scratches extending parallel to the long axis of the bone, which are seen as "V" or cube-shaped marks on cross section of the bone [23]. Furrows are deeply formed channel-like grooves that extend longitudinally along the long bones as femur and formed by molar and premolar teeth of the animals that repeat jaw movements with the intention to reach the bone marrow [21,25,33,34]. However, if a scavenger spends lots of time in chewing, then it creates furrows and pits on the bone, which makes it impossible to discern individual teeth marks due to its continuous mumbling of the bone between its upper and lower jaws [6,21,25].…”

“…When the outdoor corpses are left out for a sufficient period of time, then scavengers may devour the corpse leaving only bones [33,39,40]. In such cases, analysis and interpretation of defective skeletal remains are requested from forensic anthropologist [19,34,40,41].…”

Funerary practices or food delicatessen? Human remains with anthropic marks from the Western Mediterranean Mesolithic

“…However, when the marks result from human biting and gnawing, the intensity of the bite is normally lower and there are no scratches or pit marks, while bones affected by carnivores present clear, intensive tooth marks (e.g. Blasco and Rosell, 2009;Campmas and Beauval, 2008;Delaney-Rivera et al, 2009;Domínguez-Rodrigo and Piqueras, 2003;Haynes, 1980;Pérez Ripoll, 1992;Sauqué et al, 2014;Young et al, 2015). Some recent studies have defined the main traits that almost exclusively characterize bones chewed by humans: double arch punctures in crenulated edges or chewed ends, isolated triangular pits, or shallow linear marks associated with crescent pits (Fernández-Jalvo and Andrews, 2011; Saladié et al, 2013).…”