Animal Anatomy

In order to be able to distinguish between human remains and those of animals, the forensic pathologist and anthropologist must have some knowledge of comparative anatomy.

The following information relates to distinguishing features of the organs of (mainly) food animals - tissues that are frequently confused by the lay public with human remains.

Heart

3 ventricular furrows

	right/ posterior furrow extends approx 3-4 cm above apex
	left/ anterior furrow runs parallel to posterior border and ends at apex. There is more fat at the coronary furrow end of the left furrow than at the ends of the other 2 furrows
	intermediate furrow is shallow and extends down left side of posterior border but doesn't reach the apex

2 bones (ossa cordis) present in the aortic ring

comparatively larger than horse and longer (base is smaller)

ventricular part is more conical and more pointed than horse

fat is firmer than horse

fat not as yellow as horse

more fat in the furrows compared to horse

weight approx 2 kg

Sheep and Goat

	3 ventricular furrows
	bredth at base equals the length
	no ossa cordis (some older sheep may have ossified cartilage present)
	firm white fat
	more pointed than calf's
	pulmonary artery has a much smaller diameter and thinner wall than calf
	weight approx 150 g

Pig

2 large and 1 small ventricular furrows

	right furrow runs obliquely across heart
	left furrow is parallel with left border
	intermediate furrow may be present when it is small, situated on left border (may extend to apex)

fat is soft, greasy and generally sparse

has blunt apex

lower end of the left atrium is notched and lower than the right

globular shape - broad with blunt apex

heart looks twisted as the right ventricle appears to sag

weight varies according to size of pig - approx 250 g

Horse

2 ventricular furrows

	right furrow begins at the coronary furrow just below the posterior vena cava and ends approx 3-4 cm above apex
	left furrow descends parallel to posterior border and ends at apex

no ossa cordis

more conical shape than bovine (ox) (less elongated than ox and has bigger base)

less fat than bovine

fat is oily and yellow

weight approx 3 kg

Additional animal anatomy resources available on the web ...

Washington University Laboratory Resources for Zoology

	Heart Dissection Photos
	Lecture Notes for Zoology

Virtual Pig Dissection

Fetal pig dissection pages

	www.whitman.edu/offices_departments/biology/vpd/main.html
	http://student.ac.uk/anatomy/body_planes.htm
	www.esu7.org/~1web/Lakeview/science/fetal.html
	www.hillstrath.on.ca/moffatt/bio3a/fetalpig/fpugf01.htm
	www.hillstrath.on.ca/moffatt/bio3a/fetalpig/fpdsf01.html
	www.hillstrath.on.ca/moffatt/bio3a/fetalpig/fprsf01.html
	www.hillstrath.on.ca/moffatt/bio3a/fetalpig/frame01.htm

Veterinary Forensics

	University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine - excellent student resources with a wide range of photographs, including sections on ballistic trauma and identification issues (index)
	US Fish and Wildlife Forensics Lab (www.lab.fws.gov/) - the only crime laboratory dedicated to wildlife in the world

Wikipedia Links

Animal anatomy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_anatomy)

By far the best book on the subject of the identification of animal organs etc is ...

'Practical Meat Inspection', Andrew Wilson, Blackwell Scientific Publications

Forensicmed.co.uk book store T-shirt store

This site aims to provide educational resources for medical students in the fields of forensic pathology, clinical forensic medicine, forensic psychiatry and forensic science. All illustrations used are believed to be in the public domain, and royalty free. However, if this is not the case, and you are the copyright holder, I apologise, and will remove the relevant illustrations if required.