Skull Identification

[wytex]

Thanks for the link 406LIFE.

 

[White Rabbit]

Wondering if anyone has any ideas...when I originally found it, there were no other bones around and it was fairly deep in the national forest. Pretty small canines. Pretty round and not much of a sagital crest. Prob 6 or so inches across the back of the skull and 8-10 or so inches in length. Eyes facing forward so feel like its some sort of predator. Leaning towards small/juvenile coon?

View attachment 195326
View attachment 195327

The teeth definitely made me jump to black bear, but it’s awfully small for an adult… maybe a juvenile/cub.
Much too big for a raccoon, and the teeth look wrong to me.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Did you clean it up? My curiosity is piqued once again.

 

[Bryerific]

If it was cleaned up, the teeth would be pretty definitive for ID. If you open up the mouth and the molars look like people molars, it’s a bear. And from the picture, the premolars don’t look dog-like so I don’t think it is a feral dog.

 

[OntarioHunter]

The teeth will almost certainly fall out if you cook it so be ready for that. Put a sieve in the bottom of the pot to catch them. Remove the skull after it's simmered for a bit and the teeth should pull out easily. Arrange them in order on a piece of cardboard and tape them down. After finished cleaning and bleaching the skull, use super glue to anchor the teeth back in sockets.

 

[Ghillieman]

Wondering if anyone has any ideas...when I originally found it, there were no other bones around and it was fairly deep in the national forest. Pretty small canines. Pretty round and not much of a sagital crest. Prob 6 or so inches across the back of the skull and 8-10 or so inches in length. Eyes facing forward so feel like its some sort of predator. Leaning towards small/juvenile coon?

View attachment 195326
View attachment 195327

Knappy headed woodchuck

 

[seeth07]

The teeth will almost certainly fall out if you cook it so be ready for that. Put a sieve in the bottom of the pot to catch them. Remove the skull after it's simmered for a bit and the teeth should pull out easily. Arrange them in order on a piece of cardboard and tape them down. After finished cleaning and bleaching the skull, use super glue to anchor the teeth back in sockets.

Are you a dentist?

 

[OntarioHunter]

Are you a dentist?

We have a taxidermy business.

 

[JAG]

Gellar and Ontario, what species do you think it is?

 

[kwyeewyk]

Gellar and Ontario, what species do you think it is?

@rustneversleeps needs to run it through the dicotomous key 406LIFE posted and end the guessing!

 

[rustneversleeps]

Did you clean it up? My curiosity is piqued once again.

Like a numb nuts, I threw it in the pot after I got done with a deer to clean it up quick…and the thing basically disintegrated. Lost teeth, skull separated…stunk like a mofo and didn’t want to mess with finding teeth and trying to repair it. This was after about 20 mins and I don’t boil. Learned my lesson for sure…

 

[Gellar]

Gellar and Ontario, what species do you think it is?

I would lean towards raccoon. The meat and skin left on the bone is making it appear larger than it is. If I was making a guess I would like to know where it was found and I would like to see it next to a known object for size reference. If you look at the clean raccoon skull I posted and the one the op posted you can faintly see the same circular markings behind the eyes.

 

[COEngineer]

Like a numb nuts, I threw it in the pot after I got done with a deer to clean it up quick…and the thing basically disintegrated. Lost teeth, skull separated…stunk like a mofo and didn’t want to mess with finding teeth and trying to repair it. This was after about 20 mins and I don’t boil. Learned my lesson for sure…

Didn't measure it?

 

[kwyeewyk]

I would lean towards raccoon. The meat and skin left on the bone is making it appear larger than it is. If I was making a guess I would like to know where it was found and I would like to see it next to a known object for size reference. If you look at the clean raccoon skull I posted and the one the op posted you can faintly see the same circular markings behind the eyes.

I'd agree, the nose throws the perception off, also the teeth seemed most similar to the racoon skull you posted as well.