Hi Angelos,
When you say tubercle, are you referring to the dens (odontoid process) of the axis or maybe the unfused dorsal spine? We have a couple juvenile pigs in our collection and I can check on this for you soon.
Sincerely,
Dave
David Dyer, Curator
Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum
University of Montana
Missoula, MT 59801
-----Original Message-----
From: Analysis of animal remains from archaeological sites [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Angelos Hadjikoumis
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2013 11:22 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ZOOARCH] Forensic case
Hello Zooarchers,
Recently I was called to help in a forensic case. Several human osteologists work on the case but they called me to help with a small fragment that more likely belongs to an animal rather than a human. I am almost sure that it is the tubercle from a pig axis. I think it looks a bit confusing (spongy and human-like) because it belongs to a very young piglet. I base this on the fact that right behind the tubercle there is some unfused surface preserved. Due to the confidentiality of the case I am not allowed to post a photograph of the specimen, hence I would like to ask for your help. First, if anyone has a pig specimen in a reference collection with the tubercle-bearing part of the axis unfused I would appreciate some photos of that part. Second, does anyone know at which age that part fuses on the body of the axis (of a pig?)?
Thank you,
Angelos Hadjikoumis
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