Which two long bones are most commonly used to estimate stature?

• A. Radius and ulna
• B. Femur and tibia
• C. Pelvis and skull
• D. Humerus and fibula

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that long bones that contribute most to overall height have the strongest and most reliable relationships with stature. The femur and tibia are the two longest bones in the body and together account for a large portion of leg length, which translates into a strong, consistent correlation with total height across people. Because of this, regression formulas that use measurements from the femur and tibia provide the most accurate stature estimates in forensic cases. If both are available, using them together improves precision; if only one can be measured, the femur is typically the best single predictor due to its particularly strong relationship with height.

Other bones, like the pelvis and skull, do not track height as directly; forearm bones such as the radius and ulna are shorter and show weaker correlations with stature; the humerus is useful but not as predictive as the femur and tibia, and the fibula is less reliable due to its smaller contribution to overall height.