This behaviour is quite common in sheep in areas of calcium deficient rocks
eg Scottish islands - they even eat gull chicks. In Egypt I have watched
them eat my discard heap - Roman bones! Deer also eat bones and antlers and
the tooth marks are distinctive - like giant rodents.
Sheila
----- Original Message -----
From: "Umberto Albarella" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2001 8:06 PM
Subject: cattle gnawing
> Dear All,
> I recently observed (and photographed), in the southern Italian
> mountains, a cow chewing a scapula for a length of time. As far as I
> could tell (from some distance) the bone was from a cattle and was
> completely dry. The cow dropped the scapula a couple of times, but it
> picked it up again and carried on chewing it. As far as I know this
> behaviour might well be common, but I had never seen it before and I
> have never read of cattle as a possible agent of gnawed bones found in
> archaeological assemblages. I would be interested in knowing more
> about 'cattle gnawing', and particularly if such behaviour could be
> related to particular environmental or physiological conditions
> (calcium deficiency?). Perhaps, if further investigated, it could be
> of archaeological interest. Any information welcome.
> Cheers,
> Umberto
>
>
>
> Umberto Albarella
> Dept of Archaeology
> University of Durham
>
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