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Anthropometric study of the external ear and its applicability in sex identification: assessed in an Indian sample

Ear prints have the potential for personal identification as the shape, size and orientation of the external ear are as individual as fingerprints. Several studies exist on ear dimensions in various populations; however, studies on Indians are sparse and none of these studies have explored the sex discrimination potential of ear morphometric variables. The present study included 300 subjects (150 males and 150 females) in the age range of 18–30 years originating from all over India. A digital anthropometric method was employed to measure ear length and breadth, base of auricle, lobe length and breadth. Further, the physiognomic ear index, lobe attachments and shape of ear were also assessed. The sex discrimination potential of all these variables was also evaluated. The right and left ears were mostly asymmetrical with respect to ear length, ear breadth, base of auricle. The ear length, breadth and base of auricle were larger in males than females while lobe length and breadth were larger in females as compared with males (chi square test, p ⩽ 0.001). Additionally, the ear parameters gave a moderate to good sex identification accuracy ranging from 68–71% using discriminant function analysis.