There is a small section about birds as scavengers, starting on page 8 of the SAR PDF file, that I posted earlier. I will repost the link to the PDF file. I think that it is interesting that they mention limbs are often transported in one piece by a scavenger, then scattered. This might be the case regarding DR's remains. Birds could have possibly scattered smaller portions, after the initial limb was moved by a larger animal. We would have to know which bones LE already found, to know if they were all bones from an arm/hand or from different parts of the body. If the bones were from different parts of the body (found together, but do not articulate), then this might be an indicator that his body was moved from the original place of decomposition. Another part of the PDF explains how a body that is decomposing in its original place, will leave black stains in the soil, due to the acids and the oils.
(The Search for Human Remains in the SAR Environment 33 Pages PDF Format (SARTI-Mark Gleason) 3-08
www.sarti.us/sarti/files/SearchForHumanRemains.pdf
The Role of Predation on Surface Remains:
"Predation or scavenging activities by animals has a significant impact on decay rates, as
well as the recovery rates of remains. Scavengers can cause extensive destruction of soft
tissue and bone. They also may scatter or destroy remains. Unfortunately this is an
area for which little research exists.
In his work on studying scavenging of child sized remains,
Morton notes (478) a variety of scavengers who used remains as a food source. This included red foxes,
turkey vultures, opossums, raccoons, crows, and striped skunks. In our own studies weve also
noted predation by coyotes, domestic dogs, and turtles. This is obviously only a partial
list of scavengers who have been responsible for predation on human remains......."
".........When skeletal remains are discovered, the association of those elements in a particular
location is important.
When the remains are found in proximity with those with which
they do not articulate (ex. patella near a lumbar vertebrae), one can infer that they were
moved away from the original site after decomposition of soft tissue and disarticulation.
When articulating elements are found together (hand and arm bones), they may represent
transport prior to decomposition of muscle or tissue that held them together. One of the
last elements often moved or destroyed is the skull, as it is difficult for most small
predators to grasp on to (even with long canine teeth). Skeletal disarticulation occurs most typically
from the head downward and from the central to peripheral portions of the skeleton.
Thus the mandible will separate from the skull, and the skull from the vertebral column.
Teeth may also disarticulate from the mandible (lower jaw) or maxilla (upper jaw). It is often the
single rooted teeth (incisors and canines) that disassociate. Multi-rooted teeth typically only disassociate due to poor
rooting or damage/injury.
Cervical vertebrae often follow, with the limbs tending to
remain in tact. The process of disarticulation often exposes individual bones to damage
from predation, weathering, or other influences.
The recovery of skeletal remains is as much influenced by the process of disarticulation
as it is by remains going unnoticed in searches. Weve observed searchers walk past
disarticulated bones, or only realize their presence after having walked upon them. Most
often the axial skeletal remains are found by the site of discovery,
while skeletal elements
of the upper and lower limbs can often be found at great distances. This reflects the
ability to move limbs as a single, detachable unit."
ullhair:
