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Animal Dispersal of Human Bones

The first challenge when a skeleton is found in the desert is finding all the bones. Many animals, large and small, scavenge human bodies. Scavengers may alter the condition and decomposition of a body. The skeleton may be dis-articulated and bones carried away, hidden in dens or other places scavengers hide in order to feed unmolested by bigger predators—complicating the forensic investigators’ tasks of finding the bones and distinguishing among the effects of scavengers, weather in the desert, and human criminal acts.

Biologist and author Elaine A. Powers will discuss the forensic and occasional archaeological research processes used to learn the secrets of recovered bones, particularly in the Sonoran Desert.

Elaine A. Powers, originally from Peoria, Illinois, resides in Tucson, Arizona. After a career a laboratory biologist, she is pursuing her dream of writing science-based children’s books, murder mysteries and audio theatre scripts. She continues her work as a citizen scientist for iguana conservation, serving with the IUCN Iguana Specialist Group. She is a founding board member of the Tucson Sisters in Crime chapter and president of the Tucson Poetry Society.