Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 4.1
Edward Mitchell's 1819 illustration of sex differences in the skeleton (male on left, female on right),
print based on J.J. Sue.
FIGURE 4.2
Pelvis of female on left, subadult in the center, and male on the right, depicting the similarities in
a narrower subpubic angle in the subadult and adult male compared to the adult female.
(1969)
determined that the ventral arc was the most sexually dimorphic and the ischiopubic
ramus was the most ambiguous. The Phenice method can be extremely useful for the trained
osteologist, with accuracy rates similar to those Phenice originally reported (96.5%)
(
Ubelaker and Volk, 2002
). The method shows a high degree of subjectivity, however, it
has much lower success when attempted by an untrained observer (accuracy rate of only
88.4%) (
Ubelaker and Volk, 2002
).
