I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas! Last week I gave you this chonky skull as a mystery object to have a go at identifying:

It wasn’t anything particularly challenging or unusual, but it’s a very cool skull that we recently put on display in the Dead Zoo Lab in Dublin, and it’s nice to have a chance to share it here.

While Caimans did get a mention, pretty much everyone worked out that this is the skull of an Alligator – although which of the two living species it might be sparked some conversation.

In the words of Adam Yates:

Clues include snout shape and length, divided nostrils and lack of a lateral notch for receiving the big fangs from the lower jaw.

Excellent advice, although the simplest way I use to tell the difference is to check how much of a U-shape the maxilla forms. In this case it’s very U-shaped, which says American Alligator Alligator mississippiensis (Daudin, 1802).

I’m keeping this answer brief for this mystery object, since I’m sitting at a dinner table with family after a fantastic – and very large – meal, so I’m struggling to be creative with all my blood rushing to my stomach rather than my brain.

I hope you had a great Christmas, and I look forward to sharing more mystery objects for you in 2026!