This week I have a nice skull for you to identify. Any idea what this is?
As usual you can leave your suggestions, questions and observations in the comments section below.
Have fun!
Zygoma
Adventures in natural history collections
This week I have a nice skull for you to identify. Any idea what this is?
As usual you can leave your suggestions, questions and observations in the comments section below.
Have fun!
Zygoma 
This is an interesting one. The Y shaped ridge on top looks mustelidy but the nose and zygomatic arch look different. Looks juvenile. The big ridge at the back you see in animals which need to hold their head up in, say, water, so might be aquatic, and the nose looks almost on the same level as the eyes. I think a big clue is in the jaw joint which I have only seen in two skulls that I have. Is it UK ?
Going to guess not UK or mustelid based on the scale bar alone: European badger skull length ~13.5cm; Wolverine 15cm; this guy almost 28cm – comparable to something panda sized.
ah, couldn’t see the scale bar in my browser !
Aww Jake, you know she* ain’t a UK mammal! Not since the 1100s, anyway! But if we call all keep posting our thoughts , we will soon have ‘er sussed.
*Not necessarily an accurate observation on the true sex of the specimen, just a means to maintain consistency with the later punning clue.
Yes, I was having a thick day !
I may have to cuddle up with one and sleep on it, then try to get more details on species.
First guess is bear
Second is wolf.
Well, so I’ve opened this at work (NHM learning) and everyone got into the guessing game!
I started out with
Mammal
Recent
Carnivora
Not a cat
This has now been narrowed down (with imput and opinions from the entire office) to
An iconic fuzzy cute
that hunting Prez refused to shoot.
Winnie the Pooh. Mmmm. Hunny.
This is cryptic to disguise my own lack of knowledge:
Paolo, is this in the same family as something you told Hertford Museum they actually had when they thought they had a lion?
Judging by the teeth I’d say it’s an omnivore. Going by the scale possibly one of the U****ae. No idea what species it would be though.
Hmmm…skull of a juvenile that lives in a place where the only view is south?
European & brown?
Black.
I think black, as well. Not big enough for brown and not snooty enough for white.