Protocol
How to Find Bones in Rivers:
Bones are usually relatively easy to find if the water is clear enough to see to the bottom. Simply
walk (out of the water), wade, or swim upstream or downstream and look at the river bed. If something
on the bed looks like a strange shape (not rock like), take a closer look at it. Bones are often white, but
are also many other colors, including green, a deep red, brown, or black. Bones look like weird shaped
rocks sometimes, and can rarely only really be identified if you look at them closely or touch them.
However, often they will look like a bright white bone on a river bed; always a beautiful sight! Keep in
mind you might pick up a few sticks or rocks before finding a bone. This is normal, and even I pick up a
good number of sticks while looking for bones, so do not expect perfect identifications every time! ;-)
Safety:
Rivers are a back country hazard that can and will cause harm or death. If a river looks too deep,
fast, turbulent, or otherwise unsafe, do not collect data! No research project is worth hurting yourself!
Use your situational awareness to guide you.
If a bone or articulated body part looks disgusting and you do not want to touch it, then do not.
Again, hygiene can be problematic while on long trips, so if you are concerned about anything, do not
touch the samples. In truth, most bones are clean, and can be touched with no fear of infection. In fact,
they can be quite pleasing discoveries since they are often smooth, with a delightful texture. ;-)
Data Collection:
Below is a list of data that would be ideal to collect; if any information is missing, that is okay,
since I often find I cannot collect all the data for every bone. Once you have gathered data on bones this
process takes 2-3 minutes. At first it will take more like 5 to 7 minutes, but once you get the hang of it, it
goes much faster!
1. River Name: The name of the river in which the bone was collected. If you do not know this
information (common on long trips), just take a GPS point, and I can look it up later on a map.
2. Date: Whatever day you collected the data
3. Observer: Whoever observed the bone(s). For some treks where multiple people are involved,
the person changes. If you are solo, then there is an obvious answer. ;-)
4. ID#: This is an identification number for the bone you record and/or collect. I number mine
sequentially (1, 2, 3, etc.), but any identifier you give is okay. I just have to correlate your
records with the pictures and the physical samples (if there are any).
5. Element(s): The name of the bone or group of bones that you observed. If you do not know, that
is okay, simply tell me what they look like quickly (e.g. a lower leg, or part of a neck, etc.). This is
a good check to determine if there is a conflict between the pictures and the samples, which
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one is which. A good photograph of the specimen can also enable me to figure this out easily
too.
Taxon: This is the species that the sample comes from. If you do not know it, do not record an
answer. I can figure it out. Usually your field guess is right, so it speeds up identification. You
might also have more information in the field than I have in the lab. For example, you just
passed a dead caribou and you find its leg in the water… A good picture can also allow me to
figure this out as well.
Articulated?: Were you looking at a single bone or a few stuck together. Just record a yes or a
no, and if it is articulated describe what bones were found together (you can also take a
photograph and I can figure it out from that too).
In Water?: Was the specimen in water or not?
Orientation (Written): Describe the orientation of the specimen. This can be in weird terms like:
The pointy end upstream. Or the broken end faces the left bank. I will understand your
directions if I have the sample in hand or I have a good picture. Preferably describe the
orientation with two different descriptions, that way I can place the bone in three dimensional
space well.
Bone Orientation: For bones that have a distinct long axis (like femora, humeri, tibiae, etc.),
measure the azimuth of the long bone. This can be accomplished using a compass. Some bones
do not have distinct long axies (ribs, vertebrae, etc.), so for those bones do not worry about
getting a long axis orientation; the number would be useless anyway.
Water Orientation: This can be done by putting a finger in the water (it will make a V in the
water surface pointing upstream), and measure the orientation of the V. The number I use
during data analysis is the difference between bone orientation and water orientation, so if you
cannot get one of those two numbers, do not worry about getting the other. This happens
frequently. In fact, I usually get bone orientations in a third to a half of my bones.
Burial: A brief description of the burial of the bone (if there is any). It is as simple as saying: The
lower 1/3 of the bone is buried in bone. Or the upstream half is covered in sand. Etc. A good
picture will allow me to figure this out easily.
Geomorphology: Describe where the bone is in the channel. In the deepest part of the river, on
a point bar, the bank, etc. If you do not know the terms for these regions, simply take a picture
and I can figure it out off of the pictures really fast.
Bed Description: This is a quick description of what material lines the bottom of the river. As in,
is it sand, mud, gravel, cobbles, etc. If you do not know the distinctions between these different
sizes, simply take a picture with some scale bar (a foot, a hand, etc.), and I can glance at the
photo and figure it out.
Bedforms: Please note if you see any bedforms (ripples, sand dunes, etc.). If you do, just tell me
that you see them. A picture would be nice too. One can never have too many pictures of
ripples! ;-)
Depth: How deep the water is where you found the specimen. This can be estimated, or
measured with body parts. Like ankle deep, or up to your elbow, etc. I am looking for a rough
depth here.
17. Photographs of the bone, the surrounding river, the bed, etc. are invaluable! As can be seen
from most of the protocol above, good pictures can allow me to gather nearly all the data
(except for orientations) at a glance. So if you are unsure of your own observations, take a ton of
pictures and I can figure it out from there!
18. Collected?: Did you collect the specimen? If you did, I would be happy to pay for shipping to get
it in hand! ;-) If you are walking or rafting great distances you may not want to pick up
specimens, and this makes sense. I carry tens of pounds of bones for tens to hundreds of miles
each summer, so I completely understand! So if you can collect bones, that would be marvelous,
if not I do understand.
19. Woody Debris?: If you see any woody debris around a sample I would LOVE to know. I think that
woody debris is a large factor in the deposition of skeletal material, so I am interested in any and
all notes related to woody debris. Often bones will be found caught upstream of woody debris
or woody material is caught on the bones themselves. A picture would be fantastic if possible
too!
20. Notes: Anything that seems interesting. I trust your intuition and situational awareness. If
something seems relevant, it probably is!
Thanks:
It is impossible to thank you enough for helping me with my research. The amount of time and
effort required to gather this data set is enormous, so any and all help is greatly appreciated! All your
efforts will be acknowledged in presentations and publications, which are admittedly, small thanks for
the help you provide. Intellectually the greatest reward is the knowledge that you have made a
difference in developing analytical tools used in forensics, archaeology, and paleontology. Otherwise, I
can only offer my sincerest thanks for all your help!