This week I have another skull from the Horniman’s collections for you to have a go at identifying:
Any ideas what this might be from? As usual you can leave your suggestions, thoughts and questions in the comments box below.
Enjoy!
Zygoma
Adventures in natural history collections
Zygoma 
Just running out to school so only had a quick look, but definitely looks like a *us***d, maybe M.m. or the similar one which you find at the seaside (don’t know the latin name without looking it up). I know a lot of the middle-sized family look the same.
Good skills 😉
Looks musty. So guessing a mustelid. Guessing one of the Martes sp.
Maybe 😉
There are three unicuspid upper premolars in front of the carnassial tooth so that rules out the M*st*la genus. I’d certainly agree it’s the M*rt*s genus, but I don’t think it’s M. m*rt*s, as the muzzle looks maybe a little too extended. The lower line of the mandible doesn’t look right to me for M. *m*r*c*n*, which according to some images I’ve viewed, has a flatter line on the posterior half of the mandible running toward the angular process. Maybe the ‘m*rt*n from the seaside’, as Jake suggests, or the ‘m*rt*n of the pebble’.
Great observations, now keen to double check the id!
Looks mustelid, but the teeth look a bit more substantial that a stoat so I’m thinking marten perhaps? Too small for otter?
🙂
Reblogged this on hocuspocus13 and commented:
MYSTERY OBJECT
Boo, I was going to say m*st**id as well but people beat me to it (We use a very similar skull for a workshop).
However, just to keep things interesting, shall we entertain the possiblitiy of it being a vi**rr*d of some sort?
I like that idea. I’m now going with Fossa! 🙂
Wouldn’t it be cool if it was a fossa? 🙂
It would be cool, but alas, it’s not a fossa 😦
If it’s a choice between M.m****s & M.f***a, I’ll go for the latter — short, stout snout & the two holes in the lower jaw are quite close together.
I’m always wary of using foramina as diagnostic characters – they can display a lot of variation…
Ah, I’ll file that snippet of advice for future reference. Thanks.
You have been ” doubled reblogged”
That should keep you busy for a while…
jinxx
A nice specimen! Looks like Martes – fiona maybe? Orbits seem to large for a marts.
That would be martes with the ‘e’.
On size and denutrition I’m taking a wild stab at mustelid. But what do I know?
Looks like a badger to me.
A bit small…
European mink?
Not bad, but not quite…
Sable?
Closer!
One of these…? http://sounds.bl.uk/Environment/British-wildlife-recordings/022M-W1CDR0001418-5300V0
Pretty good match for Japanese Marten from http://macro.dokkyomed.ac.jp/mammal/en/specimen/DKY_1333I.html
Initially thought it might be badger of some description, but zygomatic arches made me rethink. I’ll go for M. m****s; of the examples of M****s I can find online to compare it to, this looks closest to me.
😉
Seems like a river otter (Lontra canadensis) from what i checked in Human and Non Human Bone Identification Atlas. Short snout, no post-orbital protrusion, large infraorbital foramen, projections posterior to the auditory meatus… Any thoughts?
Not as broad in the maxillary region as or as low and broad as an otter.