The mammal worker will often find a skull or random bone in the course of a field survey or country walk, but due to a lack of identification skills these discoveries may be ignored or discarded instead of potentially yielding a valuable mammal record. During this unique two-day course, Ric Morris will explain bone identification techniques especially suited to mammal recording, enabling delegates to confidently identify the majority of their bone finds.
The workshop will cover;
- Types of animal support structures
- The structure and naming of the parts of the skeleton
- Cranial and post-cranial bones
- ‘Laying out’ a skeleton
- How to differentiate mammal bones from bird, amphibian, reptile and fish bones
- How the skeleton affects the way mammals walk and run
- How to distinguish insectivores, herbivores, carnivores and omnivores
- An introduction to owl pellet analysis
- Primary skeletal features of every Order, Family and most species of native and introduced wild UK mammals and some domestics
- Ageing mammals from their bones
- Identifying bone fragments
- A brief look at bone pathology, including abnormalities, deformities and healed fractures
There will also be an opportunity to examine, handle, draw or photograph specimens from a very extensive collection.
The course will start at 12.00 pm on the Saturday afternoon, with a short evening session after dinner, and finish at 5.00 pm on Sunday.
The trainer for this course is Ric Morris.
Location: FSC Preston Montford, Shropshire
Date: TBC, postponed due to COVID-19
Student – £149
Mammal Society member – £199
Non-member – £249
Non-residential places available on request
Prices include overnight accommodation (single room) and all meals. Non-residential places may be available on request – please email email@example.com.
For more information about Mammal Society membership click here.
To pay by invoice please call 02380 010984.
For booking terms and conditions click here.