snake skull found in my sister's yard after the flood

[MBennettp]

 

[txminipinto]

Why do you think this is a snake skull? It doesn't look like one to me. The cranium is very rotund where a snake head is not.

 

[uwharrie]

Not a snake skull that is for sure. It is a mammal of some sorts, hard to tell without some of the teeth.

 

[Miniv]

Definitely not a snake skull. Do you have a "nature center or museum" in your general area?

 

[txminipinto]

From what I'm able to make out on my blackberry, I would assume that it is a skull of a small carnivous mammal. Some thing with an elongated muzzle since the skull seems to be broken. Teeth would help!

When I get back to work, I'll run down to the anatomy lab and see if I can find a skull that's similar (they have hundreds of species).

 

[MBennettp]

I have no idea what kind of animal or reptile this skull belongs to but everyone including 3 vets that examined it said snake. I will run it by the lab at the college as soon as I get a chance and see what they think.

 

[Margo_C-T]

Well, I don't think I've ever seen a snake skull per se, but the fact that it doesn't have the 'usual' fully-encircling eye sockets says to me that it indeed is one, and not a mammal skull. Hope you'll update us on what you find out when you take it by the college lab, Mary! Interesting find....!

Margo

 

[bonloubri]

Here is a web site I found that might be of help.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_skeleton

It doesn't look like a snake skull.

 

[Matt73]

Well, I don't think I've ever seen a snake skull per se, but the fact that it doesn't have the 'usual' fully-encircling eye sockets says to me that it indeed is one, and not a mammal skull. Hope you'll update us on what you find out when you take it by the college lab, Mary! Interesting find....!

Margo

[/quote

110% not a snake skull

1000% a mammal skull

Here's a typical snake skull. It's flat...

 

[Miniv]

Could it possibly be a lizard skull? Looking at the HALF eye sockets has me wondering.

 

[Sterling]

Could it possibly be a bobcat? Their skulls are more round than say a canine...maybe a small bobcat in this case?

 

[TangoMango]

I wonder, it looks a lot like a raccoon skull, that possibly the lower parts of the eye sockets eroded away with along with the lower jaw.

 

[disneyhorse]

I'm going to agree with the majority and say it is NOT a reptile, most reptiles (snake, lizard, turtle) have very flat skulls.

The lower part of the eye sockets are the zygomatic arches. The cat family is very well known for having open zygomatic arches, if I remember correctly from all of my wildlife anatomy drawing classes... Could it be a small cat?

Andrea

 

[disneyhorse]

Oooohhh raccoon skull is a good guess. The only other one that it might also be is a rabbit skull, at least by looking at my art anatomy books...

Still pretty darn sure it's not reptilian...

Andrea

 

[Mona]

WOW, that raccoon skull that TangoMango posted photos of looks just like it, so I am guessing that would be it!

 

[Charley]

maybe part of a squirrel skull

 

[Matt73]

I'm going with raccoon, too

 

[Margo_C-T]

Yes, with the 'missing pieces' reinstated, I'd agree with raccoon skull. Interesting how precisely the missing parts 'eroded', with almost surgical precision!

Margo