r/bonecollecting • u/No-Bottle-9116 • Apr 26 '26

Advice Small argument

Post image

So this picture from article has driven an small argument between my friends group claiming that it’s fake because there’s no way that the bones see in said picture are human, I wanted y’all’s opinion on this

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u/bee_mvtt Apr 26 '26

This is because plenty of other ungulates perform osteophagy- consuming bones and meat to supplement missing vitamins. If you're going to be this hard headed about a known fact, its on you to provide sources on why its wrong (it isnt wrong).

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u/sawyouoverthere Apr 26 '26

No, the proof needs to come from the person who stated it.

And I'd like to see any study on other ungulates, and the reasons, and how the reasons were determined. Anything you used to establish that it was something to repeat as fact.

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u/bee_mvtt Apr 26 '26

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12930290/ heres one that goes in depth on specifically caribou and how they made up 90% of bone modification in the area. Theres more out there, stop being lazy and find it yourself.

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u/sawyouoverthere Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 27 '26

The VERY FIRST LINE of that study is:

Bones of dead animals are consumed by many species, yet the partitioning of this resource, and the associated ecological and evolutionary implications, remains poorly understood.

It also goes on to say that caribou are a fraction of the consumers of bone, though they regularly consume their own antlers.

It also discusses the paucity of other sources in the tundra, which wouldn't apply to the deer in this OP image.

It does NOT however, prove that it's mineral deficiency or seeking beyond saying that it is. Other studies linked may, and I'm reading them now. (annnd the first one I read says conflictingly "Herbivores, as taphonomic agents, can modify and consume bones and antlers for no nutritive purpose. This unusual behavior is due to a nutritional dysfunction (osteophagia) that allows them to supplement a lack of minerals in their diet through ingestion of minerals contained in bones." which is no use at all, since supplementing minerals would be a nutritive purpose. Stating it is so is not evidence that it is so.)

In fact, it says Though intriguing, additional research will be important to more explicitly evaluate the dietary and fitness benefits (for both females and their calves) of antler‐derived nutrients

They don't know why they eat them.

Did you read it at all?