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Lauren Pharr: How vultures can help solve crimes
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Can a bird that symbolizes death help the living catch criminals? In this informative and accessible talk, forensic anthropologist Lauren Pharr shows us how vultures impact crime scenes -- and the assistance they can provide to detectives investigating murders. (This talk contains graphic images.)
Lauren Pharr - Forensic anthropologist
Lauren Pharr promotes the role of vultures in forensic science. Full bio
Lauren Pharr promotes the role of vultures in forensic science. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
[This talk contains graphic images]
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My parents always wanted me
to be a doctor.
to be a doctor.
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But a doctor that studies
how vultures eat dead things
how vultures eat dead things
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is probably not the type of doctor
my parents had in mind.
my parents had in mind.
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(Laughter)
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I study vulture scavenging behavior
and how vultures affect crime scenes.
and how vultures affect crime scenes.
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I'm here to talk to you
about how we take vultures for granted
about how we take vultures for granted
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in forensic science.
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Before we do that,
I want to tell you a story.
I want to tell you a story.
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So we're going to take a trip,
all 1,000 of us.
all 1,000 of us.
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It's May 2014 and we're standing in a park
in Nashville, Tennessee,
in Nashville, Tennessee,
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because we've been at a horse race.
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As we wait for the porta potty,
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we see two ladies in their Sunday best:
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heels, pearls and lovely,
floppy derby hats.
floppy derby hats.
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At any moment, we expect them
to start talking
to start talking
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about their grandma's fine china.
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But they don't.
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Instead, we hear them say,
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"Oh, look.
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Something must be dead."
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We look up and to the left
and see vultures circling round and round.
and see vultures circling round and round.
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It occurred to me at this very moment
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that if these ladies at the derby
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are aware of vulture's
connection to death,
connection to death,
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then why aren't we talking more
about these birds at crime scenes?
about these birds at crime scenes?
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People know that vultures
are connected to death.
are connected to death.
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But they don't really understand how.
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For example, here's an email
I received from a detective in Louisiana:
I received from a detective in Louisiana:
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"Lauren, there's been a kidnapping.
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What buzzards or vultures
do we have in Louisiana?"
do we have in Louisiana?"
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Before we address the kidnapping,
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I'll first address this buzzard/vulture
question I get all the time.
question I get all the time.
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Buzzards don't live in the United States.
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They are hawks that live in Europe.
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The big black birds you see circling
in the sky within the US are vultures.
in the sky within the US are vultures.
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The two types of vultures
that live in Louisiana
that live in Louisiana
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are the turkey vulture and black vulture.
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To fully understand the role
of vultures in forensic science,
of vultures in forensic science,
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I'll walk you through this forensic case.
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From the email,
certain things become apparent.
certain things become apparent.
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We can assume the detective thinks
the individual is dead.
the individual is dead.
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And he wants to use the birds
to try to find the body.
to try to find the body.
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Like the ladies in Nashville,
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the detective thinks
that vultures circling in the sky
that vultures circling in the sky
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will lead him to the body.
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It's not that simple.
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I don't know if you've ever
seen a vulture up close
seen a vulture up close
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or spent much time with them,
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but they're huge, huge.
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Six-foot wingspan.
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Vultures circle in the air
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because they are too big
to flap their wings and fly,
to flap their wings and fly,
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so they soar.
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They soar in thermals,
which are vortexes or little tornadoes
which are vortexes or little tornadoes
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caused by pressure differences in the air
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that form throughout the day
as the sun heats up the ground.
as the sun heats up the ground.
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Therefore, when you see
a circling vulture,
a circling vulture,
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the bird is usually traveling
from point A to B,
from point A to B,
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rather than circling above something dead.
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Actually, if you want to use a vulture
to try to find a body,
to try to find a body,
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look for a vulture in a tree
or on a fence post.
or on a fence post.
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Vultures are too big and slow to hunt.
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So they have to scavenge.
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In fact, vultures are
the only animals in the world
the only animals in the world
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that depend upon death as a food source.
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The turkey vulture
that you see here is super cool,
that you see here is super cool,
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because it's one of the few bird species
that can actually smell.
that can actually smell.
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It hones in on the deceased
by sensing a chemical
by sensing a chemical
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that's coming off the body during decay.
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The evolutionary role of the vulture
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is to rid the earth of harmful toxins
produced following death.
produced following death.
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Once death has been detected,
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the turkey vulture lands
and quickly scavenges.
and quickly scavenges.
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Vultures usually remove the eyes first,
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then tear the skin,
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start pulling the tissues,
and leave you with a skeleton.
and leave you with a skeleton.
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Therefore, the importance
of vultures is not in the air,
of vultures is not in the air,
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but on the ground.
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Vulture scavenging is somewhat gruesome.
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If you're ever on a bad first date,
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just reference this talk,
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and I don't think you'll have to worry
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about your potential suitor
giving you another call.
giving you another call.
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(Laughter)
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Although gruesome,
vultures are key forensic players,
vultures are key forensic players,
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and here's why.
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Vultures will consume a dead human
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just like they will consume roadkill.
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But you don't ever hear about that,
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and it's because vultures
are so good at what they do.
are so good at what they do.
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If vultures depend on death for survival
and if they scavenge humans,
and if they scavenge humans,
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then how can vultures be absent from
forensic textbooks and training manuals?
forensic textbooks and training manuals?
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The answer:
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the tradition has been for researchers
to exclude animal scavengers
to exclude animal scavengers
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from decomposition studies
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by placing a cage
over the decaying subject matter.
over the decaying subject matter.
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Why?
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Because researchers were afraid an animal
would run away with their subject matter
would run away with their subject matter
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and they wouldn't have
any data to report --
any data to report --
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consequently excluding animals' results
in a lengthy skeletonization process,
in a lengthy skeletonization process,
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and this information is currently
what detectives use during investigations.
what detectives use during investigations.
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A lot of times at a crime scene
when people see a skeletonized body,
when people see a skeletonized body,
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they think, "Wow, this has been here
for a really long time undiscovered."
for a really long time undiscovered."
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Oh, no, no, no, no.
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Vultures accelerate decay.
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And the skeletonized body
could have been there
could have been there
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for as little as five days
if scavenged by vultures.
if scavenged by vultures.
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The failure to account
for vulture scavenging
for vulture scavenging
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can result in forensic scientists
inaccurately estimating
inaccurately estimating
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how long someone has been dead
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and then searching through the wrong
missing person's files.
missing person's files.
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Therefore, the goal is to get forensic
scientists to focus on vulture evidence
scientists to focus on vulture evidence
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and to get law enforcement
to consider vulture scavenging
to consider vulture scavenging
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and a possible recent death
when skeletal remains are found.
when skeletal remains are found.
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Let's get back to the importance
of the kidnapping case.
of the kidnapping case.
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I responded to the detectives
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and told them that vultures
like areas with water.
like areas with water.
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They like areas with white-tailed deer,
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they typically arrive within
the first five days following death,
the first five days following death,
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they're going to leave
an intact spinal column and feathers.
an intact spinal column and feathers.
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The detectives write back and say,
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"We found the body buried
in a shallow grave.
in a shallow grave.
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We also found the feathers you mentioned."
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But there appeared to be a problem
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because the feathers were located
40 yards from where the body was found.
40 yards from where the body was found.
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The feathers were next
to a bloody pine cone.
to a bloody pine cone.
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Vultures aren't attracted to blood,
and they typically don't wander.
and they typically don't wander.
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They might wander 40 feet,
but they're not going to wander 40 yards.
but they're not going to wander 40 yards.
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That would be a waste of energy
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for a bird that doesn't know
when it will get its next meal.
when it will get its next meal.
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So my first job here was to determine
if vultures were at the scene.
if vultures were at the scene.
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Indeed, the feather by the pine cone
was consistent with the turkey vulture.
was consistent with the turkey vulture.
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So why in the world
would a vulture wander 40 yards?
would a vulture wander 40 yards?
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One of the reasons I love vultures
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is because they tend
to operate in a manner
to operate in a manner
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that can be explained
by biology and physics.
by biology and physics.
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I started mentally going through
the numerous bating experiments
the numerous bating experiments
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I had conducted at a body farm in Texas.
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A body farm is a place
where you can donate your body to science.
where you can donate your body to science.
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I also went through
my experiences with trapping
my experiences with trapping
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and GPS tagging vultures.
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And then the year-long process
of monitoring vultures
of monitoring vultures
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via remote GPS technology.
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Next, I brought up my field notes
and had an "Aha!" moment.
and had an "Aha!" moment.
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I knew of two things that would
lure a vulture 40 yards from a body.
lure a vulture 40 yards from a body.
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Guts and brain matter.
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I presented this information
to the detectives
to the detectives
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and learned that they suspected
the victim had been incapacitated
the victim had been incapacitated
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by blunt force trauma to the head.
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The blow to the head
was thought to have occurred
was thought to have occurred
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in the area where the pine cone was found,
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and then the victim was drug 40 yards
and buried in a shallow grave.
and buried in a shallow grave.
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This suggested that brain matter
was the lure for the vulture
was the lure for the vulture
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and illustrates how
studying vulture behavior
studying vulture behavior
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can help piece together
some of the evidence.
some of the evidence.
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The detectives also sent me this photo.
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The victim's arm is sticking up
out of the grave.
out of the grave.
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As a forensic scientist,
you have to think about the whole picture.
you have to think about the whole picture.
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The feather by the pine cone
indicated that vultures were at the scene.
indicated that vultures were at the scene.
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This crime scene photo also depicts
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characteristic vulture
scavenging behavior.
scavenging behavior.
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We zoom in, we see a white down feather,
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which is characteristic
of the turkey vulture.
of the turkey vulture.
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Also note that the skin
has a cut-like tear near the wrist.
has a cut-like tear near the wrist.
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The turkey vulture
smells the decay, lands.
smells the decay, lands.
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It can get through the pine needles,
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pull out the hand,
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it's going to tear the skin with its beak
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and then start pulling
the soft tissues away from the bone.
the soft tissues away from the bone.
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Just tear and pull,
tear and pull, tear and pull.
tear and pull, tear and pull.
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This photo illustrates
the scavenging efficiency of vultures.
the scavenging efficiency of vultures.
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This is important because it helps
support the time line
support the time line
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the detectives are putting
together for the murder.
together for the murder.
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There's not a whole lot of evidence.
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You're not likely going to see
the vultures at the crime scene.
the vultures at the crime scene.
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Instead, vultures just leave
these very subtle clues.
these very subtle clues.
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Rather than looking for the vulture,
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look for the feathers and pristine bones.
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Vultures are important
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because they are so good
and fast at what they do.
and fast at what they do.
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They're like tornadoes.
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If you blink, you will miss them.
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I provided my opinion about
the vulture evidence to the detective.
the vulture evidence to the detective.
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And he presented
the vulture evidence in court.
the vulture evidence in court.
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The kidnapping case
was a death penalty case.
was a death penalty case.
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And the defendant was found guilty.
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This case illustrates
how studying vulture behavior
how studying vulture behavior
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helps innovate forensic science.
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Someone who has been murdered
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deserves the most thorough
investigation possible.
investigation possible.
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When we include vultures
in forensic studies,
in forensic studies,
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we paint a more thorough picture
of what happened, when it happened
of what happened, when it happened
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and who it happened to.
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So, the next time you're
at a crime scene with a dead body --
at a crime scene with a dead body --
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(Laughter)
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look to the ground
to find the clues vultures have left.
to find the clues vultures have left.
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And if anyone ever
brings up vultures on a date,
brings up vultures on a date,
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you'll know they're a keeper.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lauren Pharr - Forensic anthropologistLauren Pharr promotes the role of vultures in forensic science.
Why you should listen
Every animal has its enthusiast. For the turkey vulture, it's Dr. Lauren Pharr. Originally from Tennessee, Pharr uses her PhD from LSU's Department of Geography and Anthropology to research and promote the role of vultures in forensic science.
Through cross-disciplinary research in forensic anthropology and geographic information systems, Pharr has shown that deeper study of vulture scavenging can lead to faster and more accurate work in identifying human remains. Pharr's work has led her across the country to help law enforcement professionals and researchers at the Texas State Forensic Anthropology Research Facility, the Smithsonian Ornithology Laboratory and the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Whether it's helping local law enforcement solve missing-person cases or assisting in data collection and research at national labs, Pharr proves that this often misunderstood species offers more than a cliché about vultures circling.
Lauren Pharr | Speaker | TED.com