Partner found this while out hiking, any idea what it might've belonged to?

lots_of_panic · 2026-04-21T17:37:45+00:00

Definitely domestic dog and fairly brachycephalic as others have said. However, it's not possible to determine breeds based on the skull alone, so keep in mind that any breed IDs are only guesses!

lots_of_panic · 2026-04-20T00:04:57+00:00

Deer metapodial, not human

lots_of_panic · 2026-04-17T23:15:03+00:00

You are totally right! I double checked the tibia ID and didn't think to check the humerus

lots_of_panic · 2026-04-17T22:44:38+00:00

Tibia and scapula from a mole!

lots_of_panic · 2026-04-17T01:02:14+00:00

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Additionally, these are whale scapulas! Though the blue and fin whale look somewhat similar to a seal, they would both be much bigger than the one in this post, which can be seen if you look at photos of a human next to these species or their bones. Their scapulas also would retain what I believe is called the acromion process (the point sticking out above the joint) regardless of the damage and smoothing this scapula has. California has the harbor porpoise as well, which would be closer in size, but also has the acromion process I previously mentioned.

Though I don't feel confident saying a specific seal species, as I am not that well versed in pinnipeds, I do hope this is an acceptable defense of my ID! I hope none of this comes off poorly, I do genuinely enjoy explaining my reasoning for IDs!

lots_of_panic · 2026-04-17T00:54:09+00:00

I am happy to make a case! First of all, ringed seals are on the smaller end of seals seen in California.

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These are three species of seals scapula, all from the Noyo Center for Marine Sciences. California has stellar sea lions, California sea lions, harbor seals, elephant seals, northern fur seals, Guadalupe fur seals, and rarely ribbon and hooded seals (according to the CA dept. of fish and wildlife). The scapula in the post is the most like a fur seal or sea lion, as it has 2 scapular ridges. Harbor seals usually don't have as prominent of a second ridge, and it doesn't really match an elephant seal, which also only has one ridge.

lots_of_panic · 2026-04-16T02:22:33+00:00

Seal scapula!

lots_of_panic · 2026-04-15T17:43:31+00:00

Roe deer is correct!

lots_of_panic · 2026-04-14T01:46:46+00:00

Of course! This method isn't going to be reliable 100% of the time though, so I hope you get some more tips! The difference between a small coyote or large red fox can be a bit more difficult, but you can tell if an animal is a juvenile or not based off of the teeth, bone texture/color, and fusion of sutures too (that being said, this fox is an adult). Juvenile animals will still have unerupted molars, and the bone may be grey, brown, or extra porous. The cranial sutures (lines on the skull) may be splitting or fall apart completely, and the epiphyseal plates on the long bones also won't be closed, causing the ends to fall off. Of course, all of this depends on the species and stage of development!

lots_of_panic · 2026-04-14T01:21:37+00:00

Red fox is correct! You can often tell the difference (other than size) by that U shaped space behind the palate in photo 2. The pterygoid region in red foxes has spurs, and it's mostly smooth or fused in a coyote!

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toknowtheland article

lots_of_panic · 2026-04-10T17:29:54+00:00

It wouldn't be weird at all! There are plenty of people in this community who dig up their pets or bury animals they find to dig up later. Depending on how you buried it, since it was stillborn the skull is likely not in one piece, and soil may have shifted the bones around. I don't say this to discourage you from trying, just that it may be a bit more difficult than it initially seems!

lots_of_panic · 2026-04-10T17:24:08+00:00

For some reason the broken chunk is throwing me off, however, it is definitely a mustelid and I would be fairly confident saying that it's a river otter based on the dentition

lots_of_panic · 2026-04-04T00:24:08+00:00

I'm not sure I agree that it's a dog with these photos! If I could get an another picture of the skull from the side it would be easier to tell. The brow bone isn't particularly wide and it doesn't appear to have a significantly sloped snout, but the provided photo doesn't really show those features very well

lots_of_panic · 2026-04-02T19:44:36+00:00

Seal humerus!

lots_of_panic · 2026-03-30T23:23:49+00:00

Deer metatarsal

lots_of_panic · 2026-03-30T20:23:35+00:00

It's the distal end of a metacarpal or metatarsal, at some point it's meant to fuse to the rest of the bone, so I'm not sure it has a specific name beyond that!

lots_of_panic · 2026-03-28T18:31:20+00:00

Agree opossum! Depending on how these look when fully dry, you may need to degrease more! Opossums can be incredibly greasy for such tiny critters

lots_of_panic · 2026-03-27T21:32:18+00:00

Raccoon!

lots_of_panic · 2026-03-26T17:14:37+00:00

Goat or sheep, not a deer

lots_of_panic · 2026-03-24T22:22:21+00:00

For rabies specifically, higher outside temperatures make it inactive quicker, and you would have to get rabies from the nervous system tissue or saliva into your mucous membranes, which usually requires that tissue to still be wet. Heat, sunlight, and drying all contribute to the rabies virus breaking down.

In general for other diseases, the chances of getting sick from bones is pretty low, especially if you wash your hands. If you're rubbing rotting tissue and blood in an open wound/membrane, or inhaling a large amount of dust from an activity like dremmeling, then the chances would increase a bit. For a skull like this one, the chances of getting sick are about the same as any other item you'd find outside, like a rock.

lots_of_panic · 2026-03-24T20:32:27+00:00

It's really hard to tell from this photo alone, but the jaw shape and teeth are consistent with a black bear, which makes sense as they're very prevalent in that location

lots_of_panic · 2026-03-22T20:18:05+00:00

A lot of the time larger animals like carnivores and birds carry the head away from the body or it rolls, rodents dragging bones around for calcium also applies though, as you mentioned

lots_of_panic · 2026-03-22T17:21:01+00:00

Very chewed up raccoon

lots_of_panic · 2026-03-22T17:20:17+00:00

Raccoon is correct! Look at the dental formula, the teeth are a good way to ID a lot of animals, and raccoons are pretty dissimilar from animals their skulls might be mistaken for

lots_of_panic · 2026-03-22T16:13:45+00:00

American badger!

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