Faunal Osteology Collection

Currently, students are both independently and within professor Ana Gonzalez’s Forensic Anthropology course undertaking the cleaning of a wild boar (Sus scrofa) found in Northern California. The process involves boiling the remains to aid in the removal of flesh from bone, and the complete separation of soft tissue from the skeletal remains is necessary for proper storage. The cleaned bones are then left to dry. Next, each individual bone is cataloged, and the faunal specimen is stored at the lab and made available as a student and teacher resource. Previously, the Center for Applied Anthropology has worked with the Biology Department’s laboratory to use its space for the processing of faunal remains, in addition to processing smaller specimens within the CAA’s laboratory. The faunal collection remains an invaluable teaching and learning resource for students and professors, both as a reference source and through the laboratory methods learned during the processing of faunal remains.