Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Location
Saratoga Springs, NY
Start Date
4-5-2009 12:00 AM
Description
Microscopic hair identification has been used as an analysis tool in a broad range of biological studies and has diverse applications in the fields of wildlife biology, anthropology, forensics, and natural resource management. Examining differences in cortex patterns, medulla characteristics, cuticular scale anatomy, shape, size, and color can be used to reliably identify mammalian guard hairs. Microscopic hair identification provides a diagnostic tool for identifying mammalian hair and has broad applications in the field of wildlife damage management. Hair collected from scent stations can provide presence confirmation and population density estimates on carnivores and ungulates, while hairs extracted from scats and owl pellets can be used to determine prey composition and consumption of terrestrial predators and raptors, and material collected from the site of a depredation event can be used to identify the culprit of livestock attacks. Hair identification is an inexpensive, non-intrusive method of collecting data and can be utilized by virtually anyone. The purpose of this project is to give a brief history of the field of mammalian hair identification, outline some of the basic techniques in examining individual hairs, provide a case study on a current food habits project involving hair identification, and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of utilizing this technique.
Recommended Citation
Santana, E. (2009). Hair identification: The mammalian fingerprint. In Boulanger, J. (Ed.), The Thirteenth Wildlife Damage Management Conference (264). Saratoga Springs, NY: Thirteenth WDM Conference.
Included in
Hair Identification: The Mammalian Fingerprint
Saratoga Springs, NY
Microscopic hair identification has been used as an analysis tool in a broad range of biological studies and has diverse applications in the fields of wildlife biology, anthropology, forensics, and natural resource management. Examining differences in cortex patterns, medulla characteristics, cuticular scale anatomy, shape, size, and color can be used to reliably identify mammalian guard hairs. Microscopic hair identification provides a diagnostic tool for identifying mammalian hair and has broad applications in the field of wildlife damage management. Hair collected from scent stations can provide presence confirmation and population density estimates on carnivores and ungulates, while hairs extracted from scats and owl pellets can be used to determine prey composition and consumption of terrestrial predators and raptors, and material collected from the site of a depredation event can be used to identify the culprit of livestock attacks. Hair identification is an inexpensive, non-intrusive method of collecting data and can be utilized by virtually anyone. The purpose of this project is to give a brief history of the field of mammalian hair identification, outline some of the basic techniques in examining individual hairs, provide a case study on a current food habits project involving hair identification, and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of utilizing this technique.