Ranaweeera, L.; Dissanayaka, D. M. P. V.; Weerasinghe, T. G. K.; Soysa, M. I. C. M.; Eranda Cabral; Hashan Amarathunga & Bawantha Abegunawardane

The femur, the longest and strongest bone in the human skeleton, is commonly used for stature estimation in forensic and bioarchaeological studies. However, incomplete skeletal remains often hinder direct measurement, requiring reliable methods to estimate femoral length from fragmentary segments. Population-specific data for Sri Lankan skeletal remains are scarce. This study aimed to develop regression equations for estimating maximum femoral length (FML) from measurable femoral fragments in a Sri Lankan population. Fifty dry femora from the Departments of Anatomy and Forensic Medicine, University of Kelaniya, were analyzed. Nine measurements were recorded: femur length, vertical and transverse head diameters (VDH and TDH), head circumference (HC), proximal femoral length (PFL), anterior neck length, posterior neck length, neck shaft angle, and neck diameter (ND). Descriptive statistics and correlations between fragmental measurements and FML were evaluated using Pearson’s or Kendall’s coefficients. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to generate predictive models, with significance set at p < 0.05. The VDH, TDH, HC, PFL, and ND exhibited moderate positive correlations with FML (r = 0.35–0.46, p < 0.05). Simple linear regression identified PFL as the most reliable predictor: FML = 289.14 + 2.16 × PFL (R2 = 0.21, p < 0.01). Although multiple regression models combining fragmental parameters were statistically significant, individual predictors became insignificant when PFL was included. Hence, PFL alone provides the most accurate estimation of FML. This study establishes population-specific regression models for Sri Lankans, confirming proximal femoral length as the most dependable predictor for forensic and bioarchaeological investigations.

KEY WORDS: Femur; Fragmentary bones; Sri Lankan population; Stature estimation.

RANAWEEERA, L.; DISSANAYAKA, D. M. P. V.; WEERASINGHE, T. G. K.; SOYSA, M. I. C. M.; CABRAL, E.; AMARATHUNGA, H. & ABEGUNAWARDANE, B. Estimation of femur length from its segmental fragment measurements in the Sri Lankan context. Int. J. Morphol., 44(1):304-308, 2026.