skull of unkown animal

[kiltoncomp]

i found this today in Clumber Park , among fallen leaves, no other bones or remains evident,
any one know what animal it is ? the skull measures 6" back to front and 3" across whats left of the eye sockets,
i thought it may have been a badger, but it seems a little small??





Brian.

[KeenTeen17]

looks like a fox to me. the sharp canines and molars point to carnivore to me.

[kiltoncomp]

Originally Posted by KeenTeen17

looks like a fox to me. the sharp canines and molars point to carnivore to me.

Hi KT, thanks for that, i always imagine foxes as being larger than they actually are, so you could well be right, the teeth do resemble our dogs set of gnashers

Brian.

[KeenTeen17]

Its hard to imagine them without the big ears, thats probably why it looks so small

[Dutchess]

I'd go for fox (or perhaps domestic dog.) The teeth and proportions of the head are typically canid.

Nice, clean carnassials! Pity the canines are missing...

hth

D.

[Dutchess]

Originally Posted by kiltoncomp

Hi KT, thanks for that, i always imagine foxes as being larger than they actually are, so you could well be right, the teeth do resemble our dogs set of gnashers

Brian.

Skulls and skeletons often are surprisingly small in real life. I remember finding my first cat skull in the back yard (not one of ours). I was amazed at how tiny it was. When I look at our cats closely now, even the biggest one, I press all that fluff down and marvel at just what a tiny little head they have under all that fur.

d.

[rowanalder]

it looks more dog than fox

[Wild-Woman]

To me, it looks quite 'heavy' build for a fox. Definitely not badger though.

[Lance Morgan]

Dog or Fox probably the latter

[kiltoncomp]

thanks for all your suggestions on the skull, i take it that it would seem most likely to be a fox then,
although it is quite possible for it to have been someones lost dog i suppose, as Clumber is very popular with dog walkers all year round,

Brian.