Forensic taphonomy: Scavenger-induced scattering patterns in the temperate southwestern Cape, South Africa — A first look

Spies, Maximilian J.; Finaughty, Devin A.; Gibbon, Victoria E.

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.06.015

Cited by 21 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Movement of remains was confined to smaller bones including the ribs, metatarsals, and metacarpals. These observations are similar to recent scavenging studies conducted in South Africa, which observed the Cape gray mongoose (Galerella pulverulenta) in association with decomposing pig remains (11,12). Observations such as these are important because they help to identify areas of interest when searching for scavenged remains.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Mongoose feeding behavior can vary according to environment, but mongooses in Hawaii inhabit dense scrub and dig burrows . This scavenging behavior is similar to that of the Cape gray mongoose ( Galerella pulverulenta ) and demonstrates the importance of having knowledge of local scavenging behavior prior to aid search efforts because these would be areas of interest when searching for small skeletal elements in this habitat .…”

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confidence: 71%

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An Experiment to Characterize the Decomposer Community Associated with Carcasses (Sus scrofa domesticus) on Oahu, Hawaii

Dibner

Valdez

Carter

2019

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) carcasses were decomposed on the soil surface of a terrestrial habitat on the island of Oahu, Hawaii to begin characterizing the decomposer community. Results showed that carcasses can decompose rapidly on Oahu, primarily due to the activity of fly larvae, with ~80% of mass lost by 8 days (~220 ADD) postmortem. Scavenging was conducted exclusively by the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus), first feeding on larvae then feeding on the remains. Carcasses were habitats of warm temperature, little to no oxygen, slightly acidic/neutral pH, and high sodium concentration. Larval masses selected for a microbial community comprised of multiple bacterial taxa from phyla Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, particularly genera Clostridium, Proteus, and Providencia. These larval masses were well established from 3 to 8 days (~90 to ~220 ADD) postmortem. These data provide helpful, novel insight into the structure and activity of carcass decomposer communities on Oahu.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

mentioning

confidence: 71%

An Experiment to Characterize the Decomposer Community Associated with Carcasses (Sus scrofa domesticus) on Oahu, Hawaii

Dibner

Valdez

Carter

2019

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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“…However, recent research is suggesting that natural scavenging by a variety of animals is considerably underappreciated as an occurrence in decomposition scenarios and is a significant factor accelerating the rates of carrion decomposition [26,[53][54][55][56][57][58]. As such, the question needs to be asked whether decomposition experiments that use exclusion cages do, in fact, relate to natural decomposition found in forensic cases that are subject to scavenging activity.…”

Section: Forensic Realismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Steadman et al [25] study, for the first time, provided solid evidence that PMI estimates are significantly impacted when using previously established models where human cadavers are concernedhuman PMI estimates are overestimated and pig PMI estimates are underestimated when compared to estimates calculated from studies where scavengers were excluded. It should be noted that terrestrial vertebrate scavenging activity is not restricted to raccoons and mongooses; the literature reports such species as coyotes, bears, opossum, turkey vultures, domesticated dogs, red fox and carrion crows, among others, having taphonomic impacts on human and proxy remains [54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63]. This list is expected to grow as human settlements encroach more and more onto natural habitats and animals become more synanthropic.…”

Section: Forensic Realismmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of experimental design in forensic taphonomy: moving towards forensic realism

Miles

Finaughty

Gibbon

2020

Forensic Sciences Research

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Forensic taphonomy as a discipline requires standardization to satisfy Daubert criteria for scientific data to be admissible in court. In response, there has been a shift towards quantification of methodology and estimating the post-mortem interval. Despite these advances, there are still biases and limitations within the discipline not explicitly addressed in the early stages of experimental design nor in final published works. In this article, unresolved debates with respect to the conductance and reporting of forensic taphonomic research are reviewed, beginning with the nature of experimental cadavers, human or animal analogues and their body size, and second, the forensic realism of experimental setups, specifically with respect to caging, clothing and number of carcases. Pigs, albeit imperfect, are a good model to gain a general idea of the trends that may be seen in humans in subsequent validation studies in facilities where human donors are available. To date, there is no consensus among taphonomists on the extent of the effect that body mass has on decomposition progression. More research is required with both human cadavers and non-human analogues that builds on our current knowledge of forensic taphonomy to answer these nagging questions. This will enable the discipline to make the reliable assumption that pigs and donor decomposition data can be applied to homicide cases. A suite of experimental design aspects is suggested to ensure systematic and standardized data collection across different biogeoclimatic circumstances to identify and quantify the effects of potential confounding variables. Such studies in multiple, varied biogeographic circumstances with standardized protocols, equipment and carrion will facilitate independent global validation of patterns. These factors are reviewed to show the need for adjustments in experimental design to ensure relevance and applicability of data within locally realistic forensic situations. The initiation of a global decomposition data network for forensic taphonomists is recommended. KEY POINTS Pigs are a valuable, albeit imperfect, proxy for human decomposition studies. There are few or conflicting data on effects of carcase size, carrion ecology, exclusion cages and scavengers. We recommend single, clothed, uncaged carcases for baseline research to reflect regionally specific forensic casework.

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“…This study aims to provide information about scavenging patterns in forensic anthropology casework, primarily conducted in the US. While the bulk of data collected for this study is from cases originating in North America, there is research being conducted regarding patterns of scavengers from ecosystems around the world [25][26][27][28][29][30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of scavenging: perspective from casework in forensic anthropology

Ubelaker

DeGaglia

2020

Forensic Sciences Research

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Forensic anthropology casework frequently encounters evidence of animal scavenging associated with fragmentation and loss of skeletal material. Published research demonstrates that patterns of destruction in bone can suggest the size and type of animal involved. This study analyzes 107 cases reported on by the first author at the Smithsonian Institution to investigate patterns of scavenging in forensic anthropology casework. This investigation reveals that the extent of scavenger impact varies across the body, but primarily is concentrated in the central body area. Although extensive animal scavenging can limit analysis, some evidence of foul play can be preserved. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Forensic taphonomy: Scavenger-induced scattering patterns in the temperate southwestern Cape, South Africa — A first look

Cited by 21 publications

References 17 publications

An Experiment to Characterize the Decomposer Community Associated with Carcasses (Sus scrofa domesticus) on Oahu, Hawaii

An Experiment to Characterize the Decomposer Community Associated with Carcasses (Sus scrofa domesticus) on Oahu, Hawaii

A review of experimental design in forensic taphonomy: moving towards forensic realism

The impact of scavenging: perspective from casework in forensic anthropology

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