Osteometric study of cattle's metapodial bones.

The metapodial bone (cannon bone) in cattle has been studied by many authors since the 1960s. The studies on living breeds and fossil material describe the relations between the bone and the living animal. The problem for the archeozoologist comes from the wide diversity of the morphological types and of the breeds... In this study, the results establish a link between the bibliography and the living cattle breeds, such as the Charolais breed and the feral cattle of Amsterdam Island (Indian Ocean). The maximal variability analysis shows general laws regardless of the morphological type, so conclusions can be extrapolated to fossil populations.