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Juvenile Deer Skull with Brain Impression


Bone Daddy

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On one of our first trips of the year, I found this partial skull. It was the proverbial case of "low hanging fruit" and it was just laying on the bottom in a pothole on the limestone bed, covered by about 6 inches of water. The sun lit up and it practically yelled out to be picked up. The cranium was mostly intact, but the lower jaw and all of the dentition was missing. It was in one piece, but it was fragile and it split into two equal halves on the bumpy ride home in the truck. This was a mixed blessing, because it revealed what was previously unseen: the brain impression on the inside of the cranium. It's quite beautiful in an morbid aesthetic way and it is the first time I have seen an impression on the inside of a skull.

The skull is not fossilized, so it is fairly recent. I am not 100% sure of the species, but I suppose it's the white tail deer or one of it's immediate predecessors. 

I was not sure which forum to post this in, it's mainly just for sharing and to see if anyone else has a similar brain impression in their own collection (and see more photos of them). I would like to know exactly what species it is for ID purposes, so that is why I put it in here - mods feel free to move this one to a more appropriate forum if necessary. :)

 

bambi-1.jpg

bambi-2.jpg

bambi-3.jpg

bambi-process.jpg

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Very nice. The inside of the brain case looks very cool, do those shapes document the shape of the brain exactly?

 

-Lyall

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That actually looks more like a pig or wild boar cranium to me. 

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~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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4 hours ago, fossilized6s said:

That actually looks more like a pig or wild boar cranium to me. 

I agree with this.

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Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite

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Hi Charlie and Olof!

 

Now I am glad I posted this in the ID forum. Perhaps it is not a deer at all.  I learn something new again. :)

 

There are many wild pigs in this same area where hunting is not allowed. 

 

Best regards,

 

MikeG

 

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