HUMAN OR NON-HUMAN?

• Jurisdiction: Australia

[35.220] Overview

The determination of whether skeletal remains are of human or non-human origin is vital to the decision of whether to proceed with further investigation: Angel (1974); Brooks (1975). The need to discriminate between human and non-human bone is a serious one, given that it has been reported in the United States of America that 28 per cent of bones submitted to the Smithsonian Institution by the FBI were non-human: Grisbaum and Ubelaker (2001). The figures for Australia are not known but personal experience suggests they may be close to this figure. Again, personal experience suggests that in Australia the animal bones most commonly confused with human bones are those of sheep (and goats) and macropod (wallaby and kangaroo). Many of these animal bones not only are of comparable dimensions but also are widespread throughout the country.

Sheep and goat are more recently being recovered in increasing numbers in urban areas with the introduction of multicultural methods of slaughtering and cooking such animals. Burials of cats and dogs may be mistaken for human foetal and juvenile bones. Cattle and pig bones may also be a problem because of their size. Pig premolars and molars and cattle incisors might also be confused with human teeth. In mass disasters non-human bones...