How to Identify Animal Skeletons
When you're trekking through the wilderness, you may run across some mysterious animal bones. A quick analysis of the skeletal remains may not only help you identify what kind of species it is--but also its eating habits and if it's a predator or prey. Knowing the kinds of animals that are in the surrounding area is a survival tactic that you shouldn't leave home without. This will keep you conscious of animals to be wary of as you adventure through unknown territories.
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Instructions
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Inspect the teeth in the skull of the animal skeleton. Take a close look at them to discover if this animal was a herbivore, carnivore or omnivore. Judge the length of the teeth and incisors to figure out what they're built for and how they're used. For example: large, wide teeth are signs of an herbivore.
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Study the hollowed eye-region of the skull. A large eye socket, or orbit, typically corresponds to the sharpness of the animal's eyesight. This will narrow down the possible species. Most cat species have large sockets. Nocturnal animals, such as owls, will also have large eye sockets for keen vision.
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Analyze the shapes and functions of the bones, as a whole. Snake bones, fish bones and even monkey bones are easy to determine by assessing the overall size, rib cages and designs of the bones. Add up the elements of your skeleton like they were pieces to a puzzle. A monkey skeleton for instance will have small skull and certain number of ribs. A large-sized skeleton and head could hint the animal was large, possibly a cow or mountain lion.
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Notice special functions of the skeletons that pop out and are noticeable. Winged bones and beaks will automatically tell you that this animal was a flying species or ground bird of some sort.
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Count out the bones found in the ribs and vertebrae without disturbing the site. Measure the skull and main body parts. Take a picture of the skeleton bones for later references. Cross-reference your findings with an animal skeleton guide.
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