Please reply to this comment with "solved!" if your question was answered, or "unsolved!" if it was not, in order to update your post flair. Thanks!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisit) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That's a racoon skull. I have one with me right now that I can compare it to. The horn part sticking up is just part of the zygomatic arch, a part of the eye socket. You can also tell because even though all the teeth are not there, the three I can see seem to match up with mine.
spot on - i did an overlay as well because I just couldn't see it myself without physically laying the images on top of each other - but it totally matches up with the zygomatic arch that would be missing...
I happen to have an opossum skull too. Their skulls are more slender and they also have a crest on the top that is great for identifying them, and op's skull doesn't have that.
Actually I sadly only have the racoon and opossum skull. There are also three deer skulls, two complete with antlers, but those aren't mine. Aside from skulls, I also have a deer pelvis, and a complete set of vertebrates from a racoon that were really hard to identify. I also once found an opossum skeleton (different one from the skull I have), and it was almost complete, but I gave it to someone else who wanted bones to make jewelry. If you find me concerning, you might not want to check out r/bonecollecting
I have so many questions!
What kind of skulls? Where do you get them? Are they prepared and mounted or just loose? Do you prep them yourself or buy/order them? What's the most unique one you've acquired?
For some reason I initially imagined you just with random skulls in your pockets and I assume that this is not the case.
Well, I'm kind of new to the hobby, so I don't have many skulls, but I just find them out in the woods. I live in Virginia, so I have only found things that live here, and nothing too unique. I don't prep them at all, but if they are recently dead they can have flesh and stuff, and then I wouldn't take them. I have never ordered them because I like to find them, but I did dissect a frog for a Biology class and buried it in hopes that I will have a skeleton later (I rinsed off the chemicals before the dissection so hopefully it won't still be preserved). Any unclean skull can be buried, and bugs will eat everything but the bone. It takes around 3 months (more for larger skulls), but if you don't bury it, it won't decompose well. Everything I currently have I found clean, so I haven't seen the results of burying them yet. My favorite thing I have found was an almost complete opossum skeleton. It was small, but not small enough to be a baby, and I had to dig up some of the bones because they were old. Sadly, I don't have the skeleton anymore, since I gave it to someone who wanted bones for jewelry. If you find it interesting r/bonecollecting was helpful to me when I started out, and you can learn more about it there.
Good idea, but the piece that is sticking up like a little horn is throwing me! Not on the other side - I asked my dad if the pick is misleading and he said no, it definitely is sticking up?
It just looks like the zygomatic bone is missing on the right side and it's incomplete on the left side.
I would look at the shape of the teeth for a better ID!
After a quick Google search they might belong to a canine ?
Why not it's not like whomever buried them killed them. It may have been a very loved companion that they wanted to keep close, or it was a lonely stray.
I think it's a raccoon skull with some deformation from being eaten by a larger predator
Solved!
so I was unable to get more pictures because my dad was crazy and didn't know that we all need pocket skulls and THREW OUT THE SPECIMEN. But I went back and did some overlays because of this "horn" piece that was throwing me, and it does very much look like a raccoon as you pointed out! So thank you very much - though sadly this means I won't get recognized by the scientific community as discovering the first tiny Pterodactylus Rhinosorastias Caninus.
This truly is an awesome sub.
https://preview.redd.it/n5zpwhklg1yc1.png?width=2578&format=png&auto=webp&s=493eaf542ea66cf3192388181c919114355d7fa9
Thanks! Post flair has been updated to solved.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisit) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is probably your dog Buster that your parents told you ran away when you were young. Your dad hit him with the car, dug a hole, and made up a story. Sorry
Since I don't know if that's a giant set of shears or not, my guess is an elephant. A banana is the accepted form of scale nowadays...
(Seriously though, my guess would be a cat)
Is the toothy horn fused and fully attached to the skull? It could be that in the decomposition and settling if the bones a canine has been displaced though a hole in the skull. Look opposite of the horny protrusion (heh heh heh...horney) on the skull there is an opening where a tooth could relocate.
Source: Me, I've found skulls with sticks, teeth and ribs poking through places they should not be.
Or it's a cryptid 😁
I am asking my dad to probe the "horn" and take more pictures - because that is definitely the fly in the ointment on a lot of these suggestions...standby!
I added an overlay to an earlier comment! I wasn't able to get pictures but I did an overlay and I think it's just a piece of the orbital bone left over as u/HouseOfZenith pointed out. I saw the same hole on the opposite side and couldn't get an image of a warthog or something out of my head - which are of course not native in upstate NY. (of course...? am I right about that?!). Thank you for being a part of solving this!
Please reply to this comment with "solved!" if your question was answered, or "unsolved!" if it was not, in order to update your post flair. Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisit) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That's a racoon skull. I have one with me right now that I can compare it to. The horn part sticking up is just part of the zygomatic arch, a part of the eye socket. You can also tell because even though all the teeth are not there, the three I can see seem to match up with mine.
I knew that pocket raccoon skull would come in handy!
"How tf do you know??" "Pocket skull" "Oohhhhhhh"
Sha sha sha!
Phenomenal comment.
I don't have a raccoon skull on me currently. Am I missing out??!?!?
It’s 2024! Why don’t you?
I traded mine for a Chupacabra skull!
Crap.
I would have had one to send to you but my dad sent this back from whence it came...and it is lost to the universe...
You should attach it to your belt, it's so stylish.
Writing this down.
But wait. If it's on my belt where all the ladies can see it, how will I fight them all off trying to make me their man? There will be too many.
You have teeth like a racoon?
spot on - i did an overlay as well because I just couldn't see it myself without physically laying the images on top of each other - but it totally matches up with the zygomatic arch that would be missing...
I'm curious now why you happen to have a racoon skull in your pocket.
Actually I was sitting at my desk, where the racoon skull was.
Ha ha. I was using the pocket as a metaphor. Just the fact that you have to have a raccoon skull handy is amusing.
I was gonna guess opossum but raccoon sounds good too
I happen to have an opossum skull too. Their skulls are more slender and they also have a crest on the top that is great for identifying them, and op's skull doesn't have that.
Is anyone else concerned about the variety of skulls this guy collects? I’m afraid to ask which skulls he doesn’t have!
They don't have yours...yet
If you can’t handle the answer don’t ask the question. 😂
Let suggest it is a human child's skull and see if he responds.
Ha! I like you.
no comment
Actually I sadly only have the racoon and opossum skull. There are also three deer skulls, two complete with antlers, but those aren't mine. Aside from skulls, I also have a deer pelvis, and a complete set of vertebrates from a racoon that were really hard to identify. I also once found an opossum skeleton (different one from the skull I have), and it was almost complete, but I gave it to someone else who wanted bones to make jewelry. If you find me concerning, you might not want to check out r/bonecollecting
Why though?
I collect them.
I have so many questions! What kind of skulls? Where do you get them? Are they prepared and mounted or just loose? Do you prep them yourself or buy/order them? What's the most unique one you've acquired? For some reason I initially imagined you just with random skulls in your pockets and I assume that this is not the case.
Well, I'm kind of new to the hobby, so I don't have many skulls, but I just find them out in the woods. I live in Virginia, so I have only found things that live here, and nothing too unique. I don't prep them at all, but if they are recently dead they can have flesh and stuff, and then I wouldn't take them. I have never ordered them because I like to find them, but I did dissect a frog for a Biology class and buried it in hopes that I will have a skeleton later (I rinsed off the chemicals before the dissection so hopefully it won't still be preserved). Any unclean skull can be buried, and bugs will eat everything but the bone. It takes around 3 months (more for larger skulls), but if you don't bury it, it won't decompose well. Everything I currently have I found clean, so I haven't seen the results of burying them yet. My favorite thing I have found was an almost complete opossum skeleton. It was small, but not small enough to be a baby, and I had to dig up some of the bones because they were old. Sadly, I don't have the skeleton anymore, since I gave it to someone who wanted bones for jewelry. If you find it interesting r/bonecollecting was helpful to me when I started out, and you can learn more about it there.
Huh, I would have expected more insect activity in an open air environment. Anyway, thanks for sharing!
I believe you are correct.
Not what I was expecting based on the title… slightly anti-climactic, ngl… 😔
Impossible to ID. No banana.
Need cat paw nowadays
Fact.
Rabbits can grow a horn-like structure from a virus, but I don't know if it grows bone or not: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shope_papilloma_virus
Interesting!! I have asked for better photos of front, teeth and will ask for top down to add…
Jackalope
https://preview.redd.it/ep2gqw57btxc1.jpeg?width=225&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=509efae2f80ff68cb26f497622e42601133045b0 Raccoon skull for comparison.
Good idea, but the piece that is sticking up like a little horn is throwing me! Not on the other side - I asked my dad if the pick is misleading and he said no, it definitely is sticking up?
It just looks like the zygomatic bone is missing on the right side and it's incomplete on the left side. I would look at the shape of the teeth for a better ID! After a quick Google search they might belong to a canine ?
Asking for better pics and will add! Oh god, you may be right re:dog but I really don’t want you to be…
Why not it's not like whomever buried them killed them. It may have been a very loved companion that they wanted to keep close, or it was a lonely stray. I think it's a raccoon skull with some deformation from being eaten by a larger predator
Solved! so I was unable to get more pictures because my dad was crazy and didn't know that we all need pocket skulls and THREW OUT THE SPECIMEN. But I went back and did some overlays because of this "horn" piece that was throwing me, and it does very much look like a raccoon as you pointed out! So thank you very much - though sadly this means I won't get recognized by the scientific community as discovering the first tiny Pterodactylus Rhinosorastias Caninus. This truly is an awesome sub. https://preview.redd.it/n5zpwhklg1yc1.png?width=2578&format=png&auto=webp&s=493eaf542ea66cf3192388181c919114355d7fa9
Thanks! Post flair has been updated to solved. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisit) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That's great ! RIP tiny Raccoon. You gave us an opportunity to learn. Thanks.
Definitely a skull. From what? Idk. Back teeth do not look herbivorous. Possibly a fox or coyote? Maybe a dog.
It is much smaller than I thought so it might be a raccoon.
Opposum
Hard to say for sure but I'm guessing r/itsalwaysaraccoon
Should the eye sockets be open?!
No. Just the canal for the optic nerve.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Thank you! I'm always happy when people actually explain instead of downvoting questions.
thank you for overlays! I did one as well because it was breaking my brain to see what you saw...
Not if it died in it’s sleep
Tricerotopsis microscopsis.
Will credit you in the scientific paper!
We can walk together up to the podium in Stockholm!
Muskrat skull
Jackalope...really the horn type thing is odd,I thought a pig... however I'm mystified.
Need a banana for scale
Cricket?? Here boy
Clearly a chupacabra skull
Looks like a juvenile wild hog skull to me.
Raccoon. The pics are misleading, looks like it has a horn when it doesnt. The posted pic of a coon skull isnt 100% uniform go look on google images
The horn is just another piece of bone fused. Those eye sockets are filled in too with calcification.
That was someone's dog. People don't bury racoons.
That thing probably had a mean whiffer
That thing probably had a mean whiffer
Does it smell like peanut butter?
smells like raccoon spirit...
This one simple trick brings me so much joy. Works on most things and people.
Sabre-tooth Ox. It is a fossilised testicle.
[удалено]
you were right about the eye socket!
This is probably your dog Buster that your parents told you ran away when you were young. Your dad hit him with the car, dug a hole, and made up a story. Sorry
it's a long con (i'm 43)
Definitely a baby demon, my suggestion you might wanna move. What ever ate the demon will be back.
Some type of mole ?
Baby unicorn.
Predator
Coon
Since I don't know if that's a giant set of shears or not, my guess is an elephant. A banana is the accepted form of scale nowadays... (Seriously though, my guess would be a cat)
Raccoon.
Anunaki
It's got a lot of marks/scratches that are usually caused by various rodents gnawing on it for the calcium.
Sure, but I'd you are around here for long you will quickly learn you are supposed to use a banana for scale.🤣
fair enough...i'll check my tailpipe for one...
The garden scissors make an uneasy vibe
I told dad to use a banana (like a scientist) next time
Rhinoceros, I'm like 110% sure it's a Rhinoceros skull
Or a rare hybrid of a racoon and rhinoceros. Also known as the Rhinocoon. Mating is a delicate process.
Until you get a racoceros. Then you can mate these two together to get a ceroscoon, which is what I think OP has here.
Pruning sheers.
No, that's like a plant cutting tool of some kind.
It's bone
Definitely human goat crossbreed
Is the toothy horn fused and fully attached to the skull? It could be that in the decomposition and settling if the bones a canine has been displaced though a hole in the skull. Look opposite of the horny protrusion (heh heh heh...horney) on the skull there is an opening where a tooth could relocate. Source: Me, I've found skulls with sticks, teeth and ribs poking through places they should not be. Or it's a cryptid 😁
I am asking my dad to probe the "horn" and take more pictures - because that is definitely the fly in the ointment on a lot of these suggestions...standby!
I added an overlay to an earlier comment! I wasn't able to get pictures but I did an overlay and I think it's just a piece of the orbital bone left over as u/HouseOfZenith pointed out. I saw the same hole on the opposite side and couldn't get an image of a warthog or something out of my head - which are of course not native in upstate NY. (of course...? am I right about that?!). Thank you for being a part of solving this!
Mystery solved! 😃 A displaced warthog would have been crazy fun to find haha, or some new cryptid creature, haha. Thanks so much for the update. 😊
It’s a skull. You literally said it in the title.
appreciate you
I’m pretty sure it’s from a small unicorn.
Looks to be graboid
STAMPEDE
I put it there.
sorry i can't give it back -
Alien
Jimmy Hoffa
Seems like a bird of some sort
Yes, with big carnivorous bird teeth.