Observe: Human or Animal?

Humans tend to leave certain things behind (such as shoe prints and hair) and animals tend to leave certain things behind (such as paw prints and fur).

When deciding what happened at a scene, you can make observations from the evidence that was left behind. Then, you can consider what the evidence tells you.

For example, footprints allow an investigator to tell what time a crime was committed. 
 
  • The size of a person’s shoe usually gives the range of height of the person. 
  • The depth of the footprint can tell the person's weight. 
  • If the footprint is heavier on the toes and the footprints are widely spaced, perhaps the person was running. 
  • If the footprint has a good impression of both heels and toes, the person was likely walking. 
  • Scruff marks may indicate a person was shuffling. 
  • The direction of the footprints can tell the investigator whether the person was walking toward or away from an object.
  • Investigators can take a cast of the print and from the treads on the bottom of the shoe to identify what type of shoe the person was wearing.

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  Notebook: What types of evidence are left by human activity?

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  2. Complete the activity using the photos provided (below).
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  Check Your Answers

Evidence of human activity:
  • (1) fire pit - careful geometric arrangement
  • (3) water bottle - plastic is not natural
  • (4) glass - has human finger print
  • (7) log - has been sawn with a highspeed instrument into flat slices

Evidence of both human and animal activity:

  • (6) prints include both animals and humans
  • (8) the barbed wire must have been created by humans, but it has animal fur attached

Evidence of animal activity:

  • (2) tree has been chewed by beavers
  • (5) leaves have been eaten by insects
  • (9) feces left behind by a grazing animal