A STUDY OF MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATIONS OF THE HUMAN EAR.

Background: External human ear is considered to be a highly variable structure showing different morphological and individualistic features in The uniqueness of the ear may be useful in establishing the identity of individuals by direct examination, during the examination of CCTV footage or analysis of the ear prints. Considering the forensic significance of the human ear and ear prints encountered at the scene of the crime, the present study is an attempt to evaluate various morphological characteristics of the ear . Methodology: The sample for the present study comprises of 90 males and 87 females aged of the 19 years. characteristics such as overall shape of the ear, size and shape of the tragus. Results: The oval-shaped ear was present among 40% of the males and 44.8% of the females in the study sample. The other types of the ear such as oblique, rectangular, round, and triangular were also found in both sexes. Bilateral asymmetry was observed in the shape of the ear. The shape of the tragus also varied with respect to the left and right sides as well as sexes. Conclusion: The present study shows that the individualistic characteristics of the ear can provide very useful information for personal identification in forensic examinations. The shape of the ear and tragus, show a variety of structures and individuality. The importanceand variability of the human ear may encourage the researchers in conducting further studies and solving the forensic cases pertaining to the investigation of CCTV footage and in examination of dead in airplane crashes, intentional mutilation and dismemberment, explosions, or other mass disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]