The body in question was placed in the woods in July 2014. Most of the soft tissue was stripped by vultures, and it wasn't until six months later that the young white-tailed deer was seen on camera with one of the ribs “extending from the side of the mouth like a cigar."

Eight days later a deer - possibly the same one - was seen once again chewing on another rib.

Researcher Lauren Meckel, writing in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, said: "We thought the forensic community might like to know about it so we published this brief report on the first case of a deer scavenging human bone."

A human bone would be a good source of essential minerals for a dear that was otherwise struggling to find nutritious food.