This Friday I have a pretty straightforward mystery object for you. I was going to make it difficult by giving you an image of the specimen without the skull attached, but I am at a NatSCA meeting in Leeds today, so I probably won’t get much chance to provide clues during the day (although I will do my best).
So what is this the skeleton of?
As usual you can put your answers below (using clever clues if possible) – I will try my best to respond. Good luck!
Zygoma 
Not a rock lobster, nor a lorax, but a…?
😉
I was going to go far a mara.
They have longer legs and the teeth are a rather different
Might this be something that is liable to be over-stuffed, possibly with oysters? But I’m on the train without my glasses looking at a miniscile image so I probably have the scale wrong ….
I think you have the scale wrong… 🙂
It’s a mammal!
And it’s cute and small and furry….Also, it’s famously related to another mammal that you wouldn’t expect it to, because it’s not small or furry…
Spot on.
Does this mammal spend a lot of time in or around water?
Not really. In fact, I associate these critters with quite arid conditions.
Likes rocks and trees
But which does this one prefer?
I’ll go for the rocks.
Good choice!
Is its second name Bruce ?
Not quite, but it’s very closely related. Brilliant clue!
Not all that lives in crags is kosher. Leviticus 11:5, Deuteronomy 14:7, Psalms 104:8, Proverbs 30:26.
Spot on – interestingly, this animal provides an example of an inaccuracy in the Bible.
Latin for “first guineapig”? Profile looks right for this genus.