[Histomorphometric study of bone microstructure of primates and domestic animal with the goal of species identification with reference to the effects of domestication].

The research study is focused on identifying various primate, equid, and domestic animal species based on the microstructure of their long limb bones. Using histomorphometry and statistical analysis, the distinctions between these species have been identified and measured.

Methodology

• The study included a wide range of animal species such as primates (including different types of apes, monkeys and humans), equids (horses, donkeys, and mules), and domesticated animals (cattle, pigs, sheep, goats).
• From each species, thin sections were taken from proximal metacarpi or radii for domesticated animals and from distal humeri for primates.
• The digital images of these sections were used to measure areas, perimeters, minimal and maximal axis of Haversian canals, and secondary osteons; all key attributes of bone microstructure.

Findings

• The study found that canonical discriminant analysis based on these bone microstructural parameters can help differentiate between various species.
• However, the method could not distinguish between species with similar bone structures such as cattle and pig, Equus ferus przewalskii and Equus caballus (a type of wild horse and a horse), and medieval and iron age horses.
• Interestingly, the Neolithic forms of cattle and horses overlap, meaning they have similar bone structures, but they are different from their modern forms.

Significance

• The research provides a scientific base for species differentiation at a microstructural level which can be fundamental for related fields such as archaeology, anthropology, and animal husbandry.
• It also offers insights into how domestication may have changed the bone structure of certain animal species over time.

Limitations

• The inability to differentiate between certain species with similar bone structures indicates the limitations of the technique employed, necessitating the development of more precise identification methods.