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Burial, excavation, and preparation of primate skeletal material for morphological study

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Abstract

Inclusion of osteological material in primatological research has a long history, and use of skeletal remains continues to be important in anatomical and anthropological research. Here we report a set of proven methods, including equipment, protocol, and procedure, which enable relatively simple acquisition of skeletal material from naturally deceased animals in field sites and sanctuaries. Such skeletal material, often with extensive accompanying life-history data, is a unique and valuable source of data for both academic and conservation-based research.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr Sam Turvey (Zoological Society of London) for advice and contributions throughout the paper; an anonymous reviewer for help and constructive comments; and Tetsuro Matsuzawa and Christopher Knowles for use of photographic material.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK

    Ben Garrod

  2. Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK

    Ben Garrod

  3. Natural Sciences Collections Association (NatSCA), c/o Zoology Department, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK

    Ben Garrod & Alice M. Roberts

  4. University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Alice M. Roberts

  5. McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Wolfson College, Cambridge, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Corinne Duhig

  6. Jane Goodall Institute, Arlington, USA

    Debby Cox

  7. Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Pointe Noire, People’s Republic of Congo

    Debby Cox

  8. Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    William McGrew

Authors
  1. Ben Garrod
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  2. Alice M. Roberts
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  3. Corinne Duhig
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  4. Debby Cox
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  5. William McGrew
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ben Garrod.

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Garrod, B., Roberts, A.M., Duhig, C. et al. Burial, excavation, and preparation of primate skeletal material for morphological study. Primates 56, 311–316 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-015-0480-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-015-0480-4

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