Raccoon Skull For Sale? All Answers

Raccoons are found throughout North America from Panama to southern Canada and have become established in Europe and Russia. The skull has a rounded outline and is further distinguished from canids by the hard palate that extends beyond the molars. The molars are adapted to an omnivorous diet and carnivores are reduced compared to more specialized carnivores. Raccoon skulls generally do not have a sagittal crest, although this can develop with age (Image 2).

Taxonomy:

Order – Carnivora (typical carnivores)

Suborder – Caniformia (canine)

Family – Procyonidae (raccoons & coatis)

Scientific name:

Procyon “before the dogs” (Greek) – Previously considered the ancestor of dogs.

lotor “washer” (Latin) – Captive raccoons have been observed washing their food.

English name:

From the Algonquin name “aroughcun”

The English name can be spelled with a c or two.

dental formula

U 3.1.4.2 – L 3.1.4.2 The 1st premolar may be missing and additional teeth have been reported.

Dimensions: (explanation)

Image 1

Condylobasal length – 110.9 mm

Cheekbone width – 67.5 mm

survey data

Image 1

Level – adult

Collected Territory – Kansas

Source – Courtesy of a private collector

Scrape out and rinse

Leave the skull intact or cut it in two if you like. Scrape out as much flesh, blood, and brain matter as possible. Also remove the fine bone structure in the nose so you can reach the material behind it. If you want to keep the skull intact, irrigate it through the spinal opening to remove brain matter. You can also insert a stick or tweezers into the skull to remove it. Place the cleaned skull in a bucket of water for 48 hours.

Boil the skull clean

Place the skull in a large skillet and cook steadily until the fat and flesh are dissolved. Be careful not to overcook it or the bones will fall apart. Cooking time varies, but a deer skull takes between two and three hours. Be sure to remove all fat and meat from the skull. When you’ve finished cooking the skull and it’s completely clean, let it cool.

Put in hydrogen peroxide

Place the cooled skull in a bowl of hydrogen peroxide. Use 5-10% hydrogen peroxide. Remember to wear gloves and goggles. Leave the skull in the hydrogen peroxide until it reaches the desired whiteness. For a deer skull, this usually takes 24 hours. Be careful not to leave the skull in the hydrogen peroxide for too long.

How to clean a skull

Thousands of people hunt and trap in Alaska every year. One of the little treasures that many of these outdoor people throw away is the skull of the animal they hunted or captured. A clean skull is a source of curiosity and wonder – a reflection of an animal’s way of life. From its skull, information can be gained about the diet, the strength of the bite and the specially developed senses of the animal. In addition to enjoying the natural wonder of skulls, a skull collection can make a great addition to a classroom in a variety of courses including art, science, and social studies.

Some taxidermists or people interested in cleaning skulls keep colonies of bugs that eat the tissue and leave the bone behind and do most of the work. This is an option if you can contact someone with bugs.

Cleaning a skull is a simple process and can’t be more awkward than removing meat from a cooked soup bone. Here are a few suggestions on how to clean a skull for display or study.

The first step in cleaning a skull is to simmer the skull after the hair and fur have been removed. A temperature of around 160 degrees is good, well below boiling point.

If the skull cannot be cleaned soon after the animal dies, freeze it. Cleaning rotting skulls is no fun and can cause a riot in the household. If the skull is foul-smelling from rot, it will be repulsive when cooked. In that situation, cook it outside on a camp stove or in the garage in a discarded pot.

Submerge skulls in water and let simmer. A thawed wolf or bear skull may need to simmer for eight hours. Smaller skulls such as martens, foxes or lynxes take about 40 to 60 minutes. Skulls from old animals often take longer. Frozen skulls take about 15 to 30 minutes longer. The skull is ready for cleaning when the muscle pulls away easily. Don’t boil the skull or let it simmer longer than necessary; too long as this can break the teeth and soften the bone. It’s best to remove the meat and brain tissue while they’re still quite warm. Thorough tissue removal is more difficult after cooling and drying.

The muscle, if sufficiently cooked, will break into pieces. Use a small knife (a scalpel is great if you have one) to gently scrape away stubborn tissue, but be careful not to cut or damage the bone. Nerves and connective tissue can be punctured with a wire or large forceps and gouging. The hard part is cleaning the inside of the skull (the brain case. This is done through the oval opening at the back of the skull where the skull attaches to the spine. A small spoon comes in handy on a bear or wolf to scoop out the skull Running a stiff wire or small knife inside the skull between the brain tissue and bone helps loosen it, and sometimes it comes out in large chunks. For smaller skulls, large tweezers work to pull out Brain tissue just as well. Repeated rinsing flushes out loose tissue.

Snail-like, delicate bones are found in the nasal cavities of mammals. If you want to keep them in the skull, work with them carefully. Flushing water through the brain cavity and nasal cavity will carve out some of the residual tissue in these bones.

After the skull is as clean as possible, soak it in an enzyme bleach powder (like Biz) using about ¾ cup to a gallon of water. Don’t use liquid bleach, it’s tougher on the bones and doesn’t have the enzyme action needed to break down residual tissue. Leave large skulls (bears, wolves, caribou, bison) in this solution for three days. Smaller skulls can take as little as 1 ½ days. The skull is soaked long enough when the remaining tissue can be easily removed.

A small stiff-bristled brush, a small knife (scalpel) and tweezers are suitable tools for the final cleaning. Rinse the skull well after removing the last stubborn tissue.

Teeth inevitably become loose during heating and cleaning. Hold them in place and reattach them with white glue once the skull is clean and dry. The skull should be completely dry if it is to be stored in a box or plastic bag.

In inland Alaska, the dry climate makes it more difficult to keep a cleaned skull. The teeth in particular become very brittle and cracked. Heating and soaking should be done at the absolute minimum times to reduce excessive bone cracking in arid climates.

Painting the teeth and skull with diluted white glue also helps. If the teeth start to crack, try filling the cracks with super glue to prevent further cracking.

If you’re deciding on a skull or two, there are a few things to keep in mind before you start looking for specimens.

Check the regulations. Some species are protected by state and federal laws, and it is illegal to own parts of these animals. Examples are bald eagles, all birds protected by the Migratory Birds Act and marine mammals. Possession of the skulls of most animals captured during designated hunting seasons under state and federal regulations is legal. For species that require this, ensure that the skull has been sealed by an ADF&G representative. Once the skull is cleaned, the seal can be removed. Some species’ skulls, like some other animal parts, cannot be sold, bought, or traded. A hunter or trapper can give you a skull, but again check the seal requirements for that species. Don’t kill animals just for skulls. This could be considered willful waste, which is an offense. Handle carnivore skulls from the west and north coasts of Alaska with gloves, preferably disposable gloves. Several cases of rabies have been reported from these areas, particularly in wolves and foxes. Once the skull has boiled for about 30 minutes, the rabies virus will be destroyed. If in doubt about ownership or legality, contact the Department of Fish and Game or the Alaska State Troopers, Bureau of Wildlife Enforcement.

Skull Sources (Skulls will likely need cleaning)

hunters and hunting associations

taxidermists

trappers and trapper associations

US Fish and Wildlife Service

For educational purposes: Alaska Department of Fish and Game

PO Box 25526

Juneau, AK 99802

Did you find animal bones or a skull? Especially if there is still meat on the bones, they can contain all kinds of nasty bacteria, viruses and parasites. Sometimes mold or algae will also grow on animal bones that you find. And let’s not forget about the inconveniences on bones that have passed through an animal’s digestive tract, as is the case with bones made from owl pellets.

Obviously these aren’t things you want to touch or get in your air ducts. You must sterilize the bones before displaying them. Don’t worry — it’s actually pretty easy to sterilize animal bones.

Safe removal of tissue from animals

If the bones still have soft tissue, you must remove that first. You should be VERY careful when handling dead animals that still have tissue attached. They don’t know how the animal died and could be exposing themselves to serious viruses or other infectious diseases in the process.

Wear gloves and protective clothing to keep liquids off your clothing. Wear a respirator and goggles, especially if you have to chop off a freshly dead animal to get to the bones. And keep washing your hands!

The best method for removing soft tissue is to soak the bones in warm water. Read how to remove tissue from bones here.

Best ways to sterilize bones

1. Hydrogen Peroxide (recommended)

Hydrogen peroxide is a disinfectant that can kill bacteria, viruses, mold, and parasites. However, the problem with using hydrogen peroxide to sterilize bones is that it is slow acting. They also need a fairly high concentration to effectively kill pathogens. If you dilute the hydrogen peroxide too much, it won’t be as effective.

Sterilize bones with hydrogen peroxide:

Use at least 3% hydrogen peroxide

3% Hydrogen Peroxide Soak the bones in the hydrogen peroxide for at least 10 minutes

You cannot just spray the hydrogen peroxide on the bones because the bones can harbor pathogens

Note that hydrogen peroxide is also used to whiten bones. I’ve found that a 10 minute soak in 3% hydrogen peroxide doesn’t whiten the bones too much (you need to soak longer to get the bones really white). However, if you prefer to make the bones look more natural, you may want to use ammonia instead.

2. Ammonia

Ammonia is another disinfectant you can use to sterilize bones. It is good at killing parasites but not as effective against bacteria. But ammonia is also great for degreasing bones (degreasing). For fatty species like possums and hogs, you may need to do an ammonia bath anyway. However, ammonia does not whiten the bones. So if you already want to whiten bones and they aren’t greasy enough to warrant a soak in ammonia, you should just use hydrogen peroxide for sterilization.

Sterilizing bones with ammonia:

Use only clear ammonia

Dilute ammonia to 2.5%

Only use ammonia outdoors in well-ventilated areas

Wear a respirator, gloves AND safety goggles. Seriously – it can cause serious damage if splashed in your eyes!

Soak the bones in the ammonia mixture for 30 minutes

Allow the bones to air dry completely before bringing them back indoors

3. UV light

Ultraviolet light from the sun is an excellent disinfectant. If you find bones in the desert, for example, they’re probably already sterile enough from the sun’s rays that you don’t need to do anything else with them. In theory, you could leave your animal bones outside in bright sunshine to kill pathogens on them.

Unfortunately, this method is not very reliable. There are no clear guidelines as to how long items must be left in sunlight to be fully sterilized. And sunlight only kills pathogens exposed to the sun — not pathogens lurking deep in the bones.

4. Sterilize owl pellets

I don’t actually sterilize owl pellets. Instead, I just make sure to wash my hands after finding the tiny bones. The bones are then sterilized with a hydrogen peroxide bath. However, if the owl pellets are for children (who tend to touch their mouths umpteen times) it’s probably best to sterilize them first.

To sterilize owl pellets:

Preheat an oven to at least 250F

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil

put on gloves

Wrap the owl pellets in aluminum foil

Bake the owl pellets in the oven for 40 minutes

* Do not attempt to sterilize owl pellets with liquids such as hydrogen peroxide or ammonia. Once wet the pellets start to get smelly and it’s really difficult to get the bones out.

In theory, you could also sterilize other types of animal bones using this method. However, I would NOT try it with large bones or skulls. It’s too difficult to get large bones in the oven without messing up your kitchen. And any leftover handkerchief could stink all over your kitchen while baking! Also, baking dries out the bones and increases the risk of breaking them.

NOT recommended for sterilizing bones

Bleach: Never use bleach on bones. It will break down the bone tissue, making it brittle and fragile over time.

Never use bleach on bones. It will break down the bone tissue, making it brittle and fragile over time. Cooking: Cooking sterilizes bones. And while some people cook bones to remove soft tissue, it’s not generally recommended. The high temperatures can soften and destroy bones, especially smaller bones.

Boiling sterilizes bones. And while some people cook bones to remove soft tissue, it’s not generally recommended. The high temperatures can soften and destroy bones, especially smaller bones. Vinegar: Vinegar dissolves and softens bones. Also, it’s not even a good disinfectant.

Want to learn more about cleaning collectible bones?

Check out my eBook.

Well, you need a respirator and full covering clothing. You will need a double-layer plastic garbage bag and a shovel. Put the animal in the bag and then all the feces and urine in the bag. Dispose of it immediately, and then boil out your clothes and tools. After all that, the area should be safe to use.

What would eat a dead raccoon?

Predators – Raccoons living in the wild can be prey to some natural predators, including cougars, bobcats, and coyotes. Birds of prey like great owls and eagles may be looking for young raccoons, also known as kits.

What do I do with a dead raccoon in my yard?

If the deceased is on your property, you are responsible for it – wrap it up and throw it in the bin, the advice was. However, if he were on a county road, that would be a different matter. Then the county would pick him up.

What can you tell a dead animal to putrefy?

It is recommended to cover the dead animal with lime or similar material before covering it with soil. This helps with decomposition and reduces the potential for odors. In areas of high groundwater, animals may not be buried within three (3) feet of groundwater depth.

Is it safe to pick up a dead raccoon?

Remember that you should never handle a dead raccoon’s body without proper training. You can still get infected with communicable diseases like rabies and raccoon roundworm.

Can you get rabies from a dead raccoon?

Dead animals cannot transmit rabies. However, if you find a dead rabies vector species (raccoon fox skunk or bat), the animal should be tested.

How much does it cost to remove a dead raccoon?

It costs about $175 to $300 to capture and relocate a single raccoon. Removing a dead raccoon costs about $275 to $300, while removing a nesting mother and her babies costs about $600 per group.

The skeleton is not only the remnant of a life once lived, it can also be an enduring blueprint and history of that life. In forensics and archaeology, determining the age of a skeleton is often one of the first steps in reconstructing not only life but also death to find answers. But how do you determine the age of a skeleton? Although science cannot determine an exact age from bones, an approximate age can be determined. Radiocarbon, or carbon-14, testing is widely used around the world to test fossils and skeletons, although its accuracy is controversial. But the method is sometimes unavailable, and in these cases an examination of the bones is the method used. Two ages are determined at the time of examination, age at death and overall age.

BoneID was developed to help everyone identify bones. To do this, we have developed several search methods that will help you to find a correct ID. Explore the browse tab to be guided through the categories to narrow your identification e.g.

If you cannot identify your bones from the database, contact your local college or university for a professional analysis. Or upload pictures of your bones to our Facebook page for advice and suggestions from peers and professionals.

If you suspect you have discovered human bones, you must contact your local law enforcement agency immediately.

When using skulls in education, the first question is usually “what kind of skull is that”? Skull identification can be determined by several methods. If you are unsure about the identification of a skull, you can compare it to other known specimens. However, this can be less than accurate and most will not have access to a large collection of known species. The most effective way to assign a skull to a species is to use a dichotomous key. A dichotomous key allows a person, through a series of questions, to assign an organism to a species through elimination processes. Plants, fish and even skulls can be identified using this method. Below is an example of a dichotomous skull key.

Excerpted from A Key-Guide To Mammal Skulls And Lower Jaws by Aryan I Roest.

1.

a. Large Skull, over 150 mm (6 inches) long: Go to Step———- 2

b. Medium skull, 75-150 mm (3-6″) long: go to step —— 19

c. Small skull, 25-75 mm (1-3″) long: go to step ———- 32

i.e. Tiny skull less than 25 mm (1 inch) long: go to step —— 47

2.

a. Orbit (eye socket) closed behind by a bony bar consisting of a fused postorbital process; no canines OR canines about the same size or smaller than molars: ———— 3

b. Orbit open at back; canines large, protruding: ——— 10

3. a. Skull length over 300 mm (1 foot): ————————————— 4

b. Skull length under 300 mm: —————————— 7

etc., etc., etc.

A skull key can be a valuable teaching tool in the classroom. Skulls Unlimited offers different levels of key guides from basic to advanced. The keys come with handy skull diagrams and a glossary explaining the anatomical terms used. Click here to view other skull keys.

Below are images of typical carnivore (bobcat), omnivore (raccoon), and herbivore (beaver) skulls. Different parts of each skull have been labeled to facilitate comparative anatomy. These images may also prove useful in locating parts of the skull for identification using dichotomous keys. These images are free for educational use in the classroom. To view a high-resolution, printable version, click on the image. Commercial use of these images is prohibited.

Bobcat Skull

Raccoon Skull

Beaver Skull

The following is an excerpt from Gordon Grice’s Cabinet of Curiosities.

A skull is the bony shell that protects an animal’s brain. Not all animals have a skull. For example, insects and squid have no bones at all. But mammals do – and their skulls and teeth can be fairly easy to find for a budding collector.

Related Segment Build a cabinet of curiosities

In most mammals, the upper teeth are attached to the skull. The lower teeth are attached to the lower jaw. The lower jaw is not part of the skull. When the animal is alive, the lower jaw is attached to the skull by soft tissue. After an animal dies, these soft tissues break down. So if you find a skull in the wild, you might not find the lower jaw with it. Both parts – the lower jaw and the skull – are fun to collect. Often the teeth remain implanted in the skull or lower jaw, which can help you figure out what type of skull you have. Every mammal has a certain number of each type of tooth. Scientists call this information a “dental formula.” It’s the first thing they look at when trying to identify a skull.

skunk (genus Mephitis)

There are twelve different types of skunks. Skunks eat a wide variety of foods including insects, worms, plants, garbage, and pet food that humans leave for their cats and dogs. This last habit often puts them at odds with people. The skunk usually wins. Unlike many wild animals, skunks are not as quick to run away when confronted with a human. Her ability to spray a horribly smelling liquid makes her brave. They keep eating what they want and only waddle away when they’re done.

Like most carnivores, they also eat meat. They obtain the meat by preying on small animals like lizards, frogs and mice and also by scavenging – eating animals that are already dead. Their skulls match their meat eating habits. The dental formula of a common species, the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), is . The skull is small enough to hold in the palm of your hand, and the ridge of flesh teeth will be clearly visible on the sides. Other teeth often fall out after death, but on a good specimen you can still see the holes they were in.

Goat (genus Capra)

The goat has been closely associated with humans for at least ten thousand years and has evolved into one of the most useful animals. Its milk is suitable for drinking. (It tastes stronger and less sweet than cow’s milk.) Its meat is a staple in some parts of the world. Its skin can be made into clothing. Even the hair of some breeds can be spun into wool.

Goat skulls are a common item for a collection as they are fairly easy to find. Goats can be found in the wild or on farms. Many of them have two long, curved horns that protrude from the top of their skulls. The dental formula is . If you find the skull without the lower jaw, there are no teeth at all in the front, just the flattened premolars and molars in the back. This is because a goat mainly eats plants.

Squirrel (genus Sciurus)

Squirrel skulls are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Squirrels, like other rodents, have unusual teeth. At the very front of a squirrel’s head are some very long, sharp incisors. The squirrel’s incisors, like ours, can bite off a piece of food, but they’re also good at gnawing on things like B. hard shells of nuts. The squirrel wears down its incisors while gnawing through tough things, but they grow quickly to keep up with the wear. (Rats, which are also rodents, can even gnaw through concrete and steel.)

Rodents — including squirrels, rats, mice, gerbils, guinea pigs, beavers, and others — lack canine teeth. Where their canine teeth would be is an empty space. The rodent uses this empty space to hold on to things it wants to gnaw on – like acorns. With an acorn held firmly in that empty jaw space, a squirrel can really work with its incisors. In a common species called the Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), the empty space is large enough for a walnut. The squirrel’s molars — usually three on each side of the upper jaw — are tiny compared to those of a human.

Another prominent feature of a squirrel skull is the large eye holes, or eye sockets. For a small animal, a squirrel has huge eyes. It uses them to look around for predators. Squirrels need excellent eyesight to judge jumps between branches.

Wunderkammer: Collecting and understanding the wonders of nature Buy

cow (genus Bos)

At first glance, a cow skull doesn’t look like it came from a cow. The broad, velvety nose and the twitching ears are missing. These parts are made of soft tissue rather than bone, so they don’t last long. There is nothing left of his ears to betray what powerful instruments they were. A cow can hear sounds that are too low and too high for human ears.

The nose is a different matter. Even with the fleshy end gone, the skull still shows the long snout. The large snout is an indication that the cow also had a good sense of smell. Cattle can sometimes identify predators miles away just by smell.

Then there are the eyes. Their sockets are attached to the sides of the head, allowing the cow to see in almost every direction at once. This is a useful trait for a prey species that needs to be constantly on the lookout for predators.

*This article was updated on February 3, 2017. A photo of what was identified as a squirrel has been removed. The photo actually showed a rabbit.

Excerpt from Cabinets of Curiosities © Workman Publishing.

The American opossum ranges in North America, from Central America and Mexico south, through the United States east of the Rocky Mountains and north to southwestern Ontario. They have a long head with a pointed snout and long whiskers. All possums have long prehensile tails with a scaly appearance. Possums are omnivores with a wide diet including fruits, grains, insects and carrion.

Specifications:

The North American common raccoon of the species Procyon lotor is one of seven raccoon species. In this species, the male raccoon has 207 bones and the female raccoon has 206 bones.

Ryan C. {{relativeTimeResolver(1594659973000)}}

Skulls can tell you a lot about an animal’s diet and lifestyle. They can be found in roadside ditches, on open hills, on spoil heaps outside of badger settlements—just about anywhere.

advertisement

Start the detective process with size. Skulls of voles, shrews, and mice are the size of a full-grown thumbnail, those of rats and moles are half the length of an index finger, skulls of rabbits and squirrels are thumb-length, and skulls of badgers and foxes are the size of a centimeter or an inch or two clenched Fists.

If you’re taller, you probably have a deer, sheep, cow, or horse skull. Next, look at the teeth – carnivores have pointed teeth with no gaps; Herbivores have ridged grinding surfaces on their teeth and a long, toothless gap between the molars and the front of the jaw.

What are the differences between a bone and a fossil?

When you see dinosaur skeletons in a museum, you’re not actually looking at their bones, but at their geologically based substitutes. Bones are made up of a composite of organic components, such as collagen and fats, and inorganic minerals, such as calcium.

After an animal dies, the organic parts of the bone break down over millions of years, leaving only the fragile and porous inorganic components that maintain the shape of the original bones. Water from the sediment surrounding the animal seeps into its bones, carrying minerals such as calcium carbonate and iron with it. These are deposited in the microscopically small pores of the bones, making them increasingly stony with the same physical structure.

This question and answer originally appeared in BBC Wildlife Magazine and was answered by Professor Ben Garrod.

How to Identify Common Mammal Skulls Found in the UK

hedgehog skull

Illustration of a hedgehog skull/Source: Getty Images

Hedgehog skulls are easily identified by a set of sharp teeth, all of which are quite similar.

The remains of spines are often found on hedgehog skulls.

European hedgehog guide: where to see hedgehogs and how to help hedgehogs

Rodent skulls

Illustration of a squirrel skeleton. © Ruskpp/Getty

Rodents have a pair of incisors in the upper and lower jaws and then a gap in front of the flat, gnashing molars.

Squirrel skulls are easily distinguished from rat skulls by the broader snout.

Red Squirrel Guide: Where to find them, what they eat, and what threats they face

How to Clean Animal Skulls Clean the skulls by leaving them outside under a flower pot with a gap for bugs to crawl in.

Whiten skulls with several times diluted hydrogen peroxide, not bleach.

To keep a collection in good condition, you should boil it lightly with a dash of sodium perborate, which acts as a bleach.

mole skull

Mole Skull/Credit: Getty Images

This is a very elongated skull about 30mm long. It features tiny incisors in both jaws, with no gap behind them.

You will see that other teeth are small, pointed and densely packed.

Small carnivore skulls

weasel skull. © hugocorzo/Getty

The small martens have similar, long, flat skulls.

They increase in size from a weasel skull (the skull can fit through a wedding ring) to ermine, mink, polecat, pine marten and otter skulls (the last of which is about 10 cm long).

males are larger than females; There is significant size overlap between the species.

otter skull. ©Getty Images

Hare and rabbit skulls

Rabbit skulls and hare skulls are easily distinguished from rodents by a second pair of small upper incisors behind a larger pair.

The cheekbones are parallel and you see blunt ovals on the molars.

Rabbit skulls slightly larger than rabbit skulls with much wider nasal passages.

rabbit skull. © Shelly Still/Getty

Large carnivore skulls

fox skull. © Satirus/Getty

Carnivores have large, obvious canines, and the back teeth have a series of small, sharp points, or cusps.

Adult badgers have relatively short canine teeth, a crest along the top of the skull, and the lower jaw cannot be detached; Badger skulls less than one year old lack a crest and the lower jaw is not attached to the skull.

Fox skulls can be identified by their slender, sharp canine teeth and long, narrow snout. The skull is 8–11 cm long, rather elongated, and has huge eye sockets with concave depressions above.

Cats have a very short snout and typically only three or four teeth behind the canines.

Eurasian badger skull with prominent crest and powerful jaw. © Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images

deer skull

Deer skulls have no upper incisors; The molars are all very similar and designed for grinding.

Male deer skulls are easily identified by the antlers; when antlers are absent, the short, upturned peduncle is flat-cut and points backwards. In sheep, the horn hump, or bony outgrowth, is pointed and tapered, curving backwards and downwards.

It doesn’t get much easier to identify than a red deer skull, like this one, attached to a whole skeleton caught in a river. © Alasdair James/Getty

Male Chinese water deer have large canines but no antlers; The Muntjac is the only species where the males have both tusks and antlers.

Red deer and sika deer have small rounded canines in the upper jaw.

Female Chinese water deer and muntjac skulls are told by their small size; Red and sika deer skulls due to their large dimensions. Female fallow and large deer skulls can be confused with female sheep skulls.

How to recognize deer antlers

advertisement

How well do you know your UK deer species?

After cleaning the raccoon skeleton, several bones were missing and it was not possible to reconstruct a skeleton. Instead, the skull was reconstructed and the spine and baculum were fashioned into necklaces.

skull

We were lucky enough to recover most of this raccoon’s teeth. The upper right first premolar was missing when found. Two of the lower incisors were lost during machining, one was lost prior to collection. The second lower left premolar was broken at some point in life, if you look closely you can see the part of the tooth where the bone over it has healed.

The dental formula for the upper jaw is 3 incisors, 1 canine, 4 premolars and 2 molars.

The dental formula for the lower jaw is 3 incisors, 1 canine, 4 premolars and 2 molars.

Raccoon full dentition

spine

Most of the spine was recovered. The axis, C3 and one thoracic vertebra are missing.

Almost all mammals have seven cervical or cervical vertebrae. The first vertebra connecting the skull to the spine is the Atlas (C1), the second the Axis (C2). The remaining five cervical vertebrae have no specific name. The ribs originate from the thoracic vertebrae, of which there are usually 12-15 in mammals, 13 in raccoons. Most thoracic vertebrae have a high, flat spine. Mammals usually have 6–7 lumbar vertebrae, most have bony protrusions from the sides. There should be 7 in raccoons. Sacral vertebrae support the pelvic girdle (hips) and number 3–5 are often fused vertebrae. Last are the caudal vertebrae, actually part of the tail and not the spine.

Raccoon Spine

baccalaureate

The baculum, also known as the penile bone, is present in most male mammals. Baculums are sometimes used as amulets for luck or love. They come in many different shapes and sizes, including forks and spikes. In raccoons, they are curved with a forked lobe at the top and measure about 10 cm in adults.

Raccoon baculum

Caitlin.