Human v. animal bone identification tips for SAR operators

While the final determination of whether a bone is animal or human in origin is best left to the forensic anthropologist or other qualified expert, there are several good indicators available to SAR operators in the field.

In her article entitled Determination of Human Versus Nonhuman Skeletal Material, Kathy Taylor, Ph.D., describes several ways animal bones can be differentiated from human bones.

Dr. Taylor is a forensic anthropologist with the King County Medical Examiner's Office in Seattle, Washington, USA.

Her article is excerpted below, with her expressed written permission.

MibSAR-recommended bone manuals for SAR-trailer reference libraries:

The Human Bone Manual, by Tim D. White and Pieter A. Folkens (Elsevier Academic Press, 2005)

Human Osteology: A Laboratory and Field Manual, by William M. Bass (Missouri Archaeological Society, 2005)