This week I have another mystery skull for you to identify from a box of miscellaneous bones:
Any idea what animal this came from?
As usual you can put your observations, questions and suggestions below and I’ll do my best to respond. Happy identifying!
Zygoma 
It’s a dog or wolf skull. It is a bit small for a wolf skull and by the look of it all the teeth where mature, so probably dog.
I thought of dog at first glance, but there are a few features that suggest it’s something else!
yeah 😉 A dog would be too easy, would it? I’ll think further!
The back molar is like a badger’s, so mustelid ?
Changed my mind, looks more foxy
a fox would fit, i think.
Great observation on the teeth – it looks a bit like a fox with some badger teeth! Which does of course mean it’s neither a fox nor a badger…
There are some bloody weird things going on at the front of the molars, but at least 4 premolars says canid. Had a look at fox molars online, and I could lean that way.
It would be a rather short-nosed fox…
Bit of a stab in the dark, but I’d hazard a guess at wolverine? Off to go look up dentition…
Wolverines are a good bit chunkier and they have a layer of adamantium encasing their skeletal structure…
Favourite food coffee beans perhaps?
Not this chap…
OK! Does it like performing with snakes then?
Nope. Your cuisine inspired suggestion applies to a cousin of this chap though.
OK – give up on specifics, going round in circles! Have to be more general – family Viverridae?
😉
does this animal give a damn?
Yes it does, so no, it’s not!
a small hyena?
Too many teeth
Fossa?
Not robust enough.
C…. m…….s ?
If you mean Canis mesomelas then nope, I’m afraid not!
Is it from the marten or ocellot circle of friends?
Sorry, meant marten or genet not ocellot.
More Genet than Marten
Carnivoran, certainly, as others have said. My first thought, from the shape, was a canid of some kind… but I don’t think the auditory bullae look right. (Of course, I may be wrong about that – can’t find any decent images of what they should look like). Mind you, it also looks like it has three molars which dogs don’t, that I recall. Viverrids sometimes do, though, and they have feliform bullae. It seems a little large for a viverrid, but there are some ‘large’ and even ‘giant’ ones, so I wouldn’t rule that out.
Not a very specific guess, all in all…
Good rationale – leading in what I consider to be the right direction
In that case, given the other clues above… Victorian? That’s got to be about the right size.
Same genus as I think it is, although I think it’s probably a different species.Not quite sure why I made that comment – I thought it was a different genus as well… clearly not with it today!
Linsang?
Bit big for a Linsang