Lt.Mike Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Hello to all! This would be my first post and what motivated me to join the forum is because we have found something I just can't nail down. On a recent fossiling trip with my family my daughter found a skull in a stream bank located in central NJ where shark teeth are the common find. In fact this skull fragment was partially exposed in the stream bank just above a layer of gravel that was producing sharks teeth. I was solidly set in and only exposed because of recent storm water erosion.The stream bank was a sharp cut out from the landside and this fossil was approximately six feet below the surface layer. I've compared the skull to modern day coyote and wolf skulls. The brain cavity is larger than a coyotes and while about the same as a wolfs the top fin is about 2-3 times the size of a wolfs. I went on a comparison google photo search and the closest match I can find is from a dire wolf! Do I dare say this is what it is? Ok, maybe not, but I am thinking this is an ancestor of todays wolf. Here are the shots. what do you think? Here it is next to a coyote skull I'm 54 and have been fossiling since I was about nine and this is one of the cooler things I've seen found. Thanks for checking this out, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calhounensis Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I'm interested to see what others say about this find. The parietal/occipital area does look similar to Canis dirus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Dimensions are everything when dealing with wolf skull. I think you should take it to a museum and have it identified there. http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calhounensis Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Harry nailed it here, I've always had issues with identifying Canidae. There are so many varieties in the last several thousand years. A few millimeters makes a difference. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZiggieCie Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeymig Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I have seen skulls of Indian (Native American) domesticated dogs that look very similar to this. I'm not 100% certain but I think that's what you have. Still very old and a great find. Mikey Many times I've wondered how much there is to know. led zeppelin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichW9090 Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 While the morphologies are very close, the backwards projection of the inion does not appear pronounced enough to be Dire Wolf. You lack the palate, so establishing the horizontal orientation of the fragment is tricky, though. My tentative identification would be Canis lupus familiaris. In-hand comparison is critical. 1 The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpevahouse Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Considering where the skull fragment came from and the preponderance of historical refuse commonly washed into the stream deposits I will go with Rich's assesment. I've been collecting bones from Monmouth Country streams as a study of how they wear and age in those conditions. The appearance of the skull will in no way indicate it's age. I have many from the same area found mixed among the fossils. They may look old but they simply aren't. A very common occurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 The parietal/occipital area is more elevated than the Canis dirus(dire wolf)/Canis lupus(gray/grey wolf) has,so my thought is Canis lupus familiaris(domestic dog). " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt.Mike Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 Thanks for the input guys. First chance I get I'll bring it to a museum for further ID. I'm comfortable that its fossilized from what I see and where it was found. Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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