Postmortem modifications of skeletal elements caused by common small southern African scavenging mammals found in a peri-urban environment
| dc.contributor.author | Da Costa, Roxanne Rebelo | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Keyes, Craig Adam | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-12-05T08:11:49Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-12-05T08:11:49Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.description | A dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Medicine in Forensic Medicine to the Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2024 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The definition of taphonomy is everchanging and has been adapted from the original use to explain fossilization of animal remains to aiding in forensic investigations. Forensic taphonomy has helped estimate postmortem interval timelines and aid in understanding what happened to a body postmortem. A taphonomic variable of interest is animal scavenging. Animal scavenging can hinder forensic investigations through the alteration or deletion of evidence and the scattering of remains. The aim of the study was to describe the nature of postmortem modifications of skeletal elements caused by common small scavenging animals found in peri-urban environments in southern Africa. Understanding scavenging and scattering patterns of common animals found in a peri-urban environment in South Africa can aid in locating skeletal elements in forensic investigations. In this study, bovine skeletal elements were scattered at the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria, in the enclosures of genets, servals, a warthog, and suricates. The elements remained in the enclosures for a week, after which they were collected, and the process was replicated three times. The samples were then macerated, analysed, and photographed at the Johannesburg Forensic Pathology Services. Scores were the most commonly observed postmortem modifications caused by all species studied and they were mainly superficial, indicating they were more likely caused by claws rather than the teeth of the animal. A chi-square test was conducted to test whether an association existed between the location on the skeletal element scavenged and the scavenging species. The statistic proved that there was an association and that each scavenging species studied have a preference for specific locations and skeletal elements that they scavenge on. A scoring system was developed to describe the intensity of modifications inflicted on the skeletal elements. The Cohen’s Kappa coefficient showed that the scoring method produced reliable scores. This is the first forensic taphonomic study to describe the modifications caused by genets, servals, and suricates. The results of the study can assist forensic anthropologists in the assessment of postmortem taphonomic alterations to skeletal elements in peri-urban environments in Southern Africa. | |
| dc.description.submitter | MM2024 | |
| dc.faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences | |
| dc.identifier | https://orcid.org/ 0009-0005-4400-880X | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Da Costa, Roxanne Rebelo. (2024). Postmortem modifications of skeletal elements caused by common small southern African scavenging mammals found in a peri-urban environment [Master’s dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WireDSpace. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10539/43125 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg | |
| dc.rights | © 2024 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. | |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg | |
| dc.school | School of Clinical Medicine | |
| dc.subject | Forensic | |
| dc.subject | Anthropology | |
| dc.subject | Taphonomy | |
| dc.subject | Scavenging | |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.subject.other | SDG-3: Good health and well-being | |
| dc.title | Postmortem modifications of skeletal elements caused by common small southern African scavenging mammals found in a peri-urban environment | |
| dc.type | Dissertation |