title: Postmortem scavenging by the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana): Impact on taphonomic assemblages and progression.
abstract: The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is a highly active scavenger whose behavior has significant impacts on rates of decomposition and skeletonization, which have previously not been addressed. In this study, scavenging by the opossum led to the skeletonization of carcasses in half of the accumulated degree days (ADD) of a comparable non-scavenged control carcass. Opossums used body orifices, as well as natural tears caused by the decomposition process, to access internal tissues and consume them. This activity resulted in little movement of the carcass and the retained appearance of natural undisturbed decomposition. This concealed activity has the potential to cause drastically incorrect estimates of time since deposition and post-mortem interval. Scavenging by opossums was also found to leave distinct tooth mark and other defects on bone, which have not been previously distinguished in the literature. This research suggests, beyond effects on PMI, that scavenging by opossums has been historically overlooked and misattributed to canid scavengers.
authors.affiliation: W. Roger Webb Forensic Science Institute, University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N University Drive, Edmond, OK 73034, United States. Electronic address: kking51@uco.edu.
authors.forename: Kama A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: W. Roger Webb Forensic Science Institute, University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N University Drive, Edmond, OK 73034, United States; Department of Biology, University of Central Oklahoma, Box 89, Howell Hall, 100 N University Drive, Edmond, OK 73034, United States. Electronic address: wlord1@uco.edu.
authors.forename: Wayne D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Lord
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Room 314, Norman, OK 73019, United States. Electronic address: heather.r.ketchum-1@ou.edu.
authors.forename: Heather R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Ketchum
authors.affiliation: Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Science, University of New Haven, 300 Boston Post Road, New Haven, CT 06516, United States. Electronic address: rcobrien@newhaven.edu.
authors.forename: R Christopher
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: O'Brien
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002102:Cadaver; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006801:Humans; D009825:Oklahoma; D009893:Opossums; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D013552:Swine; D013696:Temperature; D014741:Video Recording
keywords: Accumulated degree days; Bone modification; Forensic anthropology; Forensic science; Post-deposition interval; Skeletal taphonomy