Forensic species identification of elephant (Elephantidae) and giraffe (Giraffidae) tail hair using light microscopy

Abstract

Here we present methods for distinguishing tail hairs of African elephants (Loxodonta africana), Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), and giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) from forensic contexts. Such hairs are commonly used to manufacture jewelry artifacts that are often sold illegally in the international wildlife trade. Tail hairs from these three species are easily confused macroscopically, and morphological methods for distinguishing African and Asian tail hairs have not been published. We used cross section analysis and light microscopy to analyze the tail hair morphology of 18 individual African elephants, 18 Asian elephants, and 40 giraffes. We found that cross-sectional shape, pigment placement, and pigment density are useful morphological features for distinguishing the three species. These observations provide wildlife forensic scientists with an important analytical tool for enforcing legislation and international treaties regulating the trade in elephant parts.

Hair Analysis of Mammals of Brazilian Wildlife for Forensic Purposes

“…In addition to the knowledge of trichological information, the geographical distribution of the species should be taken into account for a more accurate identification. Identification is not always easy, considering that the samples found may be insufficient for certain types of tests [6] However morphologic and morph metric characteristics' examination based on microscopy, which may enable the hair analyst to identify hair as from animal origin [18], to characterize the hair to a particular species [19] [20], and to conduct comparative examinations [12].…”

Follow‐up on the characterization of peptidic markers in hair and fur for the identification of common North American species

“…Using a range of microscopic techniques, the features of hair (fiber's diameter, shape and size of the scales of the cuticle, presence of medulla and its pattern) are recorded, although some authors have debated the diagnostic value of the cuticular pattern . Microscopy has been used in forensics, illegal trade, textile research, and conservation and archaeology for species identification. The task is however painstaking and requires intense expertise and experience, as well as a large bank of references to train the eye to inter‐ and intra‐species variations .…”

Characterisation of novel α‐keratin peptide markers for species identification in keratinous tissues using mass spectrometry

“…In both cases, the textiles proved to be made of a wide range of species and the proteomics approach was particularly useful in characterising blends of fibres (dog/goat or sheep/goat) in the Coast Salish textiles. Species identification of keratinous materials has important applications for cultural heritage (identification of textiles, horn, baleen and tortoiseshell artefacts), modern textile production (to detect frauds in textiles made of luxury fibres such as cashmere), and the illegal trade of endangered species (for instance, rhinoceros horn powder).…”