New Members Vtkrista Posted September 26, 2019 New Members Share Posted September 26, 2019 Hi everyone, Can you help me identify what animal this may be? It was found in Botswana. It is a semi-arid climate. Any idea if it's carnivorous or not? Any clues are helpful! Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 Looks bovid except for the ridge -- but I'm no expert. Your best bet is to wait for others to chime in. I'm probably way off. Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 Looks more canine, to me. @Harry Pristis @calhounensis @jpc What is the size of this skull? 2 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 IPFOTM -- MAY - 2024 _________________________________________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facehugger Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 25 minutes ago, Mark Kmiecik said: Looks bovid except for the ridge -- but I'm no expert. Your best bet is to wait for others to chime in. I'm probably way off. hmmm...isn't a sagittal crest generally indicative of a omnivore or carnivore? Used for heavy musculature connecting to the mandible for enhanced jaw strength? Didn't think herbivores typically have that feature... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 It does look like a doggo. 1 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facehugger Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 2 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said: Looks more canine, to me. @Harry Pristis @calhounensis @jpc 1 minute ago, LordTrilobite said: It does look like a doggo. My peers are correct I believe...bears striking similarities to a coyote skull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 Well, it's not cat. The other large carnivore is hyaena. And, that's my guess without research. My only hesitation is that I expected a larger saggital crest. 1 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 My guess would have been hyena but the brow doesn’t look quite right unless it’s a spotted or something like that..... I agree with carnivore and canid.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilus Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 Domestic dog? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 Yes, Domestic Dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pemphix Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 +1 for canidae, see here: https://www.tierschaedel-online.de/page_shop.php?LID=DE&ACTION=CAT&CATID=111 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoNoel Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 If it's botswana then it could potentially belong to an African Wild Dog or a large jackal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members Vtkrista Posted September 27, 2019 Author New Members Share Posted September 27, 2019 Size is 7 inches nose to back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted September 27, 2019 Share Posted September 27, 2019 compare your skull to these pix. I think the slope of the forehead is more extreme than the wild dog, but that might be easier to compare with the actual specimen. Yours seems to have a hump just above the eyes. But then dog skulls can be difficult to ID. Here in the states, domestic dog, fox, coyote and wolf can be very difficult if they are the same size. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 Here's a Crocuta crocuta skull: 1 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bone Daddy Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 Here is a Florida coyote skull for comparison. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted September 28, 2019 Share Posted September 28, 2019 I also think coyote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 6 hours ago, Bobby Rico said: I also think coyote I didn't realize that coyotes were introduced into Botswana!! 2 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 No coyotes in Botswana I don’t think. Personally I think you found somebodies hunting dog or pet.... but I could be wrong.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 "A dingo ate my baby!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted September 29, 2019 Share Posted September 29, 2019 6 hours ago, Harry Pristis said: I didn't realize that coyotes were introduced into Botswana!! My mistake, sorry I should have said it looks more dog like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanodonfossil Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 The skull is from a domestic dog or in this case more likely a feral dog. Jackal skulls are streamlined in appearance and don't have a high stooping forehead that you see in domesticated dogs. Excuse the hurried graphic; but I've composed some comparisons for you from http://skullbase.info. Top right you have an African Wild Dog a very robust looking skull and top left a jackal. At the bottom of the graphic I've included a breed of domestic dog similar to the one in your photographs. I recommend using http://skullbase.info if you need a modern animal skull ID as they have 360 graphics and lots of species to cross compare. A good find! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iguanodonfossil Posted October 1, 2019 Share Posted October 1, 2019 I've made another graphic just for the fun of it and for anyone's benefit; obviously these aren't to scale, I've made them the same size so you can tell shape differences. When it comes to wild canine ID's Vs domestic dogs, look at the forehead, even in primitive breeds they'll have that stooped profile. When it comes to coyote/wolf hybrids depending on the purity of the hybrid, identifications can get difficult...but when we're dealing with everyday finds, this is the basic rule. Top left is a wolf, top right is a coyote. Bottom left is a dog and bottom right is a spotted hyena. I've included a spotted hyena in there; they're not canines, but as you can see they have a very different skull structure. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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