Have 3 skulls I need identified

[squirrelfriend]

Hi guys,

I often go to the rivers and lake by my house and look for fossils and take photos of the wildlife. Over the last couple of years though I have come across 3 skulls of three different animals. I have taken photos of one so that I could post it. I have to let my batteries recharge so that I can take photos of the other two. I will post them when I can. Anyhow, here are photos of one of them. the thing that intrigues me about this one is that I can not find the eye sockets. Does any one know what this is?

It is 3 inches long and 2 1/4" wide.

 

[Ted]

Hi guys,

I often go to the rivers and lake by my house and look for fossils and take photos of the wildlife. Over the last couple of years though I have come across 3 skulls of three different animals. I have taken photos of one so that I could post it. I have to let my batteries recharge so that I can take photos of the other two. I will post them when I can. Anyhow, here are photos of one of them. the thing that intrigues me about this one is that I can not find the eye sockets. Does any one know what this is?

It is 3 inches long and 2 1/4" wide.

looks to be a broken dog [small dog species] skull.
it has eye sockets..they arent clearly visible because the area adjacent to the Zygomatic process is broken and gone.

 

[squirrelfriend]

Ted, please come back and check later. I will post the other two once my camera bateries have recharged.

I have seen another thread of yours showing your skulls. You sem to be very experienced in this area so I really value your opinions. Thanks for responding.

 

[Ted]

Ted, please come back and check later. I will post the other two once my camera bateries have recharged.

I have seen another thread of yours showing your skulls. You sem to be very experienced in this area so I really value your opinions. Thanks for responding.

thanks alot!

i will do all i can to help..sometimes it's a bit of a task if they are incomplete, and i end up having to do cross reference to determine species.
sometimes its easy to tell, other times not so much.

cant wait to see your additional pics!
it's like forensics to me..its great fun to figure them out.

oh..and what sort of fossils do you locate there?

 

[squirrelfriend]

So far lots of shells. I think one of a small fish. coral. there is one type that I find continuously that I can decide if it is of squid or a nautiloid. possible sponges. what looks like to be river bed plants. I have seen lots of what looks like fossilised wood but not sure on that. mussle shells, clam shells.I have so many and they are all over the place. I have so many I line the garden with them, use them as tarantula and hermit crab tank decorations.

 

[thedude]

the skulls look almost like racoon skulls

 

[Ted]

the skulls look almost like racoon skulls

it did at first..but didnt seem to be elongate enough.

i compared it to several of my coon skulls, and it may very well be a domestic cat.
i will post a few shots of my skulls to compare them too.
mine would be good examples because i collected most of my own from the wild.
and are a bit weathered like his.

 

[squirrelfriend]

ok, I got pics of the other two. Give me a sec to get them resized on photoshop. I will post them in a few minutes.

 

[squirrelfriend]

Ok, here is the second one. I will post them seperate so that there is no confusion as to which is which. This one has parts of the jaw assembly.

 

[squirrelfriend]

# 3. I think this is a rodent of some sort. 2 1/2 inches long, 1 1/2 wide.

I forgot to add the dimentions for # 2. 3" x 2 1/4"

 

[scolex]

Those are neat!! Looking at the last skulls teeth, looks like a herbovoir.:?

 

[OldHag]

last one is a Rabbit me thinks. Or squirrel...

 

[Ted]

i am pretty sure that you have two cat skulls and a large rat skull.
the frontal arch is too flattened for a rabbit or squirril. imo
compare the features on these carefully.
i am looking at tooth count and dental placement/arrangement,occipital height/width,parietal arch,temporal curve/orientation and ventrally the tympanic lobe size,
also the auditory bulla.

 

[Ted]

here are a few comparisons..i used :two different types of small dog, a raccoon,an opossum, and a domestic cat.

first shall be the raccoon..notice how long the maxilla is and tooth count.

raccoon

two dogs..

dog and cat

opossum..lol.look at all the teeth and size of those canines!

from left to right..cat, dog, dog, raccoon.
and then ventral of them in that order, with opossum horizontally.

 

[squirrelfriend]

I think the dog is out. The skull domes up too much on top. I am thinking raccoon? The areas I found them in were wooded areas that run along the river. The one with no eye sockets left I found at the mouth of the river where it runs into Lake Ontario. I think that is why it is so worn. It has been traveling down the river for a while. Raccoons are very abundant in those areas. I took a closer look at the canine teeth. they are short and darkened at the base like an older animal would have so I think the one with the jaw pieces is an adult of whatever it is. I also see a puncture at the top of the skull of that one with sharp edges so it looks like there was no healing time and it died right away from that injury.

In the areas that I found them there are also musk rats, mink, possums, foxes, squirrels (red and eastern greys), coton tails, and a few others that I can't think of off hand.

 

[pinkzebra]

Sorry I can't help at all, but I find these photos and your knowledge very very interesting guys!! Keep it coming!

 

[Ted]

I think the dog is out. The skull domes up too much on top. I am thinking raccoon? The areas I found them in were wooded areas that run along the river. The one with no eye sockets left I found at the mouth of the river where it runs into Lake Ontario. I think that is why it is so worn. It has been traveling down the river for a while. Raccoons are very abundant in those areas. I took a closer look at the canine teeth. they are short and darkened at the base like an older animal would have so I think the one with the jaw pieces is an adult of whatever it is. I also see a puncture at the top of the skull of that one with sharp edges so it looks like there was no healing time and it died right away from that injury.

In the areas that I found them there are also musk rats, mink, possums, foxes, squirrels (red and eastern greys), coton tails, and a few others that I can't think of off hand.

the cranial area seems to be too shortened for a raccoon.
and also i still feel the maxilla length and dentition are not correct for a raccoon..seems more feline.
the Bulla seemed a bit large proportionally, than a raccoons as well.
the second large skull looks to have cat teeth..not raccoon teeth..a tooth count should help there.
still purely guessing, as its not a complete specimen.

 

[loxoscelesfear]

the domed skull loks cat-like. the rodent one is a muskrat or small beaver

 

[Snipes]

Can't you tell by the carnassials shears whether they are feline or canine?

 

[lucanidae]

Here's what I think:

The first two are domestic cats, identifiable by the three ridged teeth and the large auditory bullae. The first one is very young, see the open cranial sutures, and the second one is only slightly older, just gaining its adult dentition as you can see in the bit of maxilla you have there. The shape on the mandible in the second one is characteristic of the domestic cat.

The third one is a common muskrat. It is the size, teeth, and especially the incisive foramina that give this one away.

I use Mark Elbroch's new book 'Animal Skulls A Guide to North American Species' to identify all of my skulls, and I highly recommend it.