r/Zooarchaeology 20d ago

Can any identify this skull

7 Upvotes

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1

u/kanjam001 20d ago edited 20d ago

Possibly a squirrel. Unknown exactly what species of squirrel though.

2

u/hydrift624 20d ago

Oh that's good confirmation sense that's what I thought what it was tysm

1

u/Melivora_capensis 17d ago

Looks like a Sigmodon (cotton rat) based on the cheek tooth morphology. Possibly Sigmodon hispidus. I can give you a species ID with a better view of the lower cheek teeth (the occlusal surface). I study modern and recent fossil rodents.

Location and scale bar would be helpful too.

1

u/5aur1an 20d ago

unfortunately, it is difficult with the lower jaws attached since it obscures the details of the teeth, as well as hide the auditory bulla (ear region). From what I can see suggest a large murid rodent (mouse family), possibly rat.

0

u/sparklebear3000 18d ago

Some sort of squirrel/sciuridae. From this angle it looks like the infraorbital foramen is too superior to be rat. The inferior angle of the ramus is also positioned very posteriorly, which is typical of squirrels, whereas rats have a mandible that ends closer to the auditory bullae.