Animal Scavenging
Animals can modify and damage both soft tissue and bones. The scavenging and disarticulation Of a body by scavengers can result in the modification, scattering, and removal Of elements needed for the interpretation of trauma and identification. The disarticulation and scattering Of a body Will affect the search perimeters and methods Of a scene and can adversely affect the recovery rates Of skeletal elements.
Animal scavenging analysis includes the assessment of the scene environment and the potential animal scavenger species accessing the scene, the identification and interpretation of the scavengers' bite marks and other scavenger-related soft tissue and bone modifications, and species' scavenging, disarticulation and scattering behaviours and patterns. These analyses help to make informed decisions in delineating search perimeters and choosing optimal search methods for recovery.