Development of a metric technique for identification of rib number (position) in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus): an initial attempt

Zooarchaeologists have traditionally largely ignored ungulate ribs because they are seldom identifiable to genus or species, and they cannot be sorted as to which rib is represented (first, seventh, twelfth). Measurements of six dimensions of 287 ribs from 15 individual white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) reveal that four dimensions do not differentiate ribs as to position. The ratio of costal facet height to costal facet width, however, gives a >90 percent chance of correctly categorizing proximal ribs as either anterior (ribs 1-6) or posterior (ribs 9-13). Future research should incorporate frequencies of anterior and posterior ribs into studies of skeletal part frequencies. The metric technique of rib seriation could be applicable to other ungulate taxa.