BCC EP:09 Signs on the prey - the science of the tooth marks

We discuss how big cats use heathland as their territory with
Jonathan McGowan, and hear about two of his encounters in Dorset
and the New Forest. He scouts out suspected prey remains of deer
in these areas, looking for tell-tale tooth marks on the
bones. 


We then hear from Dr Andrew Hemmings in the lab at the Royal
Agricultural University, Cirencester.  After receiving these
skeletal remains from Jonathan and others, students gauge the
tooth marks to identify those which match the scale and pattern
of puma and leopard carnassial teeth.  Andrew discusses how
tooth-pit analysis can contribute to the evidence base for big
cats in Britain. 


Words of the week:   Citizen science


16 October 2019