Forensic odontologist: 'this jaw is not from any known primate'

The specimen was presented to an independent forensic odontologist in 2011 by an intermediary who declined to identify the original holder. The odontologist agreed to perform a structural analysis on the basis that her name would not appear on the report and that she would never be required to handle the chain of custody question.

A partial mandible, fragmentary at both ends, retaining a continuous run of approximately seven dental positions on the better preserved side. The dental architecture is, in the analyst's terms, "inconsistent with any extant or fossil primate within my training, and inconsistent with any non-primate mammal I have considered for comparison."

Specific anomalies identified include the absence of canine differentiation across the arc, a uniform tooth morphology that does not separate into incisor, canine, premolar, or molar groupings, and a posterior chamber behind the final tooth position that the analyst describes as "open to the lingual surface and of unknown function."

The report does not establish that the specimen is genuine. It does not establish that the specimen was recovered from any particular location. It does not establish that the specimen is from a single organism. The analyst is explicit that she examined the object as presented and that her conclusions apply to the object only.