Introduction

Abstract

Regardless of the context (forensic or archaeological), the correct identification of human and non-human remains is a very serious issue in osteological analyses. While the difference between various species is often very striking, it can also be quite subtle (Figure 1-01). Case studies and text books have highlighted similarities between some species, for example the hand and foot bones (metacarpals and metatarsals) of the human hand and the bear paw in the forensic realm (Byers 2005; Owsley and Mann 1990; Stewart 1979; Ubelaker 1989). These comparisons between the human and bear are also presented in Chapter 4 of this book. Sometimes the morphological similarity between species is quite unusual and counterintuitive. For example, there is a remarkable correspondence between an adult human clavicle and an adult alligator femur (Figure 1-02).