# What Skull is This?



## Spin to Win (Dec 7, 2010)

Hey There!

Figured this forum would be the right place to check out some expert opinion on a little gem I found while fishing this weekend. I was stream fishing in the Northeast part of the state when I stopped to take a look for morels (still can't seem to find even ONE of those damn things, but that's besides the point...). Anyways, I stumbled upon this skull while looking below a dead tree. Pretty much the full skeleton was there and in good shape. Can't seem to figure it out exactly, but I have narrowed it down, and I'm on the fence on whether this was a meat eater or not... Ha! Look at those fangs! 

I think I'm holding the lower jaw incorrectly (think the bottom fangs belong inside the upper). Had to hold it like that to get the pic, as the skull and lower jaw were detached. 

I am looking forward to hearing what you guys think. I looked at some pics online, and it seems like it could be a few things. My thought was bobcat, but I really have no idea.


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## GuppyII (Sep 14, 2008)

Pretty cool find... I guess a bobcat.


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## aroflinger (Sep 4, 2011)

Whoa! My guess is a bobcat. 

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## fishdip (Dec 29, 2010)

I think bobcat also.


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

You put it together pretty close, just need to shift that lower jaw forward & the bottom teeth to the outside


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## fishineveryminuteofit (Mar 31, 2011)

Really cool find. Will look neat in a man cave.


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## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

It looks too big for a bobcat. Please measure the length and width of the skull.


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## Magnet (Mar 2, 2001)

I handled a bobcat skull Saturday and the fangs were proportionally skinnier than those in the pictures. The one I handled was smaller in size also (unless you have real dainty hands). Could just be the difference between a younger cat and an older cat though.


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## wyandot (Dec 5, 2013)

Cougar.


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## Jager Pro (Nov 8, 2013)

Looks like a bobcat to me. Neat find! Hope you kept it.


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## MERGANZER (Aug 24, 2006)

http://theevolutionstore.com/store/bobcat-skull-replica-ss184/

Above is a Bobcat skull. Teeth do look thinner than yours and there is no size comparison to go by. Neat find for sure.

Ganzer


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## ih772 (Jan 28, 2003)

Bobcat.


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## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

Trophy Specialist said:


> It looks too big for a bobcat. Please measure the length and width of the skull.


The reason I asked for the size of the skull is that a big adult bobcat skull will be perhaps 5" long. The biggest ones I've heard of are less than 6" long. If it is over 6" long, it is not a bobcat.


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## Spin to Win (Dec 7, 2010)

Thanks for all the responses!

Well, I'm sorry to disappoint everybody -- I've actually disappointed myself. I, in fact, did NOT keep the skull. I'm definitely regretting it now, but it gives me an excuse to go back up there and do some trout fishing soon! I'm pretty sure I know where I found it, and it had obviously been there for a while since there was no tissue, or hair around whatsoever. So, maybe it will still be there, and I'll be able to go and find it again. I did pull one of the front fangs out, and put it in my vest as a lucky charm (it worked, as I caught a couple of nice trout after I found it). 

I'm feeling more confident that it's a bobcat now with everybody's responses, but it seems like it might have been a pretty big specimen. Obviously I can't measure the length and width of the skull since I tossed it back below the tree where I found it, like an idiot. I have normal sized hands (I can palm a basketball if it has sticky tread on it), so you can use that as a size reference. 

One of my favorite things about fishing on the river, is the fact that you never know what you're going to find, or see. I saw two adult bald eagles lock claws 50 feet from me 2 weeks ago, found a potential bobcat skull, and caught some beautiful trout. Can't find a mushroom to save my life, but I'm not complaining with all of the other awesome stuff out there on the stream...









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## Kennybks (Mar 29, 2010)

I've got a bobcat skull at home. I'll post picture when I get home. Taxi said it was one of the largest cats he'd seen in 20 yrs doing mounts.

That skull is way too large for a bc. 

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## Kennybks (Mar 29, 2010)

From about 30+ years ago. 

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## michiganmutt (Nov 30, 2012)

looks like my ex-wife... Those fangs look awfully familiar...


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## NancyJ (Sep 2, 2008)

We clean skulls almost daily,handle all types . Michigan bobcats are brought in for mounting or rugging,unfortunately, the skulls must ALL go to Rose lake DNR for what ever they want them for.a great part of the trophy that we are being denied to keep them-its not right.......-with all that said-what you found is too large for a bobcat. most will fit in the palm of your hand- 2.5 " x 3.25 ". is average. this is a young cougar by its size and thickness of its canines. dna would verify this.


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

Lynx are pretty rare in the UP, let alone NE Michigan, but it is a possibility. I still think it is the skull of a huge bobcat.


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## Trophy Specialist (Nov 30, 2001)

OK, I did a comparison sizing calculation. Based on the length of his thumb in the photo, and assuming that his thumb is the same size as my thumb, I extrapolated the size of the skull coming up with approximately 5.5" in length. Now if that is the true, approximate length, then it could possibly be a bobcat based on skull size, but it would be a giant bobcat if that is the case. It's the fang length and thickness that really don't look like a bobcat to me. A 5.5" skull length would also be in the ballpark for a young cougar and my opinion is that the teeth size fits a young cougar more than a super, large bobcat.


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## Critter (Mar 3, 2006)

For sure a chupacabra because it can't just be anything obvious on these forums........


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## Spin to Win (Dec 7, 2010)

Man -- I'm fully intrigued now. All this speculation has me really wondering, but I guess we won't fully know until I'm able to go to back and grab the skull, and then go to the DNR for some testing. Wondering how that's done???

Anyways, I took a photo of the fang that I put in my vest pocket. I pulled it out of the socket from the skull, and it came out clean. You can see from the corrosion line, where it was retracted into the socket. The full length of from tip to tip is 1.5". The part that was sticking out of the socket was 7/8". Don't know if that's going to add to they mystery, or help solve it, but that's all I have to go on right now.

At this point, I think it's safe to say that we're dealing with a baby sabre tooth tiger....









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## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

itchn2fish said:


> Lynx are pretty rare in the UP, let alone NE Michigan, but it is a possibility. I still think it is the skull of a huge bobcat.


I'd say Lynx. But if it's a Bobcat it's a big one.

Good hunting.


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## Up_North_Hunter (Dec 3, 2013)

Ever find anything else out?


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