ANTH 228
–
Forensic Anthropology
Assignment 3:
Stature Determination
Please answer these questions on a separate piece of paper. You will need to use
information from both your
textbook
and
lecture notes
.
Answers should be submitted online via Canvas. Your assignment can be typewritten or
handwritten (make sure it’s
legible). Please only use pdf, doc, or docx file formats
(picture file formats, e.g. jpeg, gif, tiff, etc. are not permitted) Even though you are
submitting your assignment electronically, at the top of the page remember to include
your
name
,
student number
, the
assignment number
, and the
date of submission
.
**Please note** - different methods use different measurements, so check notes &
textbook
to see if bones should be measured in mm or cm. Also, don’t forget to use
correction factors
(age, shrinkage), if appropriate.
1. A number of partially fleshed bones are found in a ravine: a radius measuring 199
mm long and femur measuring 425 mm long. What would the estimated living stature
be if these bones belonged to Jennifer McCormack, a 53-year-old
“White”
woman?
(Please show your work).
2. The following bone fragment is recovered in the back yard of a house in Kitsilano: a
humerus head measuring 47.5 mm. A) What would the estimated living stature of this
individual be? B) What formula(e) did you use and why? (No correction factors are
required; please show your work).
3. A partially-fleshed skeleton of a male is found and measurements are available for
the following bones: T11
–
2.65 cm, T12
–
2.77 cm, L1
–
2.96 cm, L2
–
3.20 cm, L3 -
3.25 cm, L4 - 3.53 cm, L5
–
3.61 cm. A) What is the estimated living stature for this
individual? (Please show your work). B) With 95% confidence, could this partial
skeleton belong to Matthew Rutherford, a 60 year old male who was recently
reported missing, with a reported height of 5ft 8in?
4. A fragmentary skeleton is found. It is important to reconstruct the stature for this
individual, as several people have recently been reported missing in the area, and a
stature estimation would help to narrow down the list of potential matches. The
skeleton is described as follows:
fragmentary right femur with segments 3-4 present, complete skull, T1-T12
vertebrae, fragmentary left humerus with segments 1-3 present, complete left tibia,
fragmentary right tibia with segments 1-2 present, C2-C7 vertebrae, complete left
ulna, right metacarpals 2, 3, and 5, complete right humerus, fragmentary sacrum with
