TRACKS: Who dunnit?

BushrangerCZ

Nomad
Dec 23, 2010
258
0
in the woods
Who knows? It´s from a remote, forested highland area in Moravia.
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JonathanD

Ophiological Genius
Sep 3, 2004
12,815
1,511
Stourton,UK
I've avoided updating this with further findings, but sod it. A couple of members here have been helping me get to the bottom of the find after I posted a pic of the skull in the Bear Grylls Gerber Review thread. Found it while testing the knife and didn't think too much of it until Bushwhacker pointed out that it was way to big for a domestic cat. We've both had expert advice and the findings are very surprising. I have the skull in front of me now after a nightmare trying to get it back off one of the guys I loaned it to. I'll let the discussion flow before coming out with what we have learned.


In situ...
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Grouped bones...

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Cmpared to the largest fox and badger skulls I could locate for the purpose of comparison...

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JonathanD

Ophiological Genius
Sep 3, 2004
12,815
1,511
Stourton,UK
Hehe, I've been waiting for this. :)

Yeah, well, I really wasn't going to post it as no doubt a great load of brown stuff will be hurled, but, it is what it is and found naturally as illustrated. Personally I think the similar feed back that you and I have had on this from completely differing independant sources is absolutely amazing.

One thing that I will reveal is that it had been dead for about six to ten weeks. I found it in early August. The bones had been gnawed upon by rodents. How it died is unknown.
 

Trunks

Full Member
May 31, 2008
1,716
10
Haworth
WOW!

It looks similar to a "Wildcat" skull, only the one you have there is a bit bigger. If i were a betting man...

... I'd risk £10 on it being a Lynx/Bobcat :)
 

Bushwhacker

Banned
Jun 26, 2008
3,882
8
Dorset
Yeah, well, I really wasn't going to post it as no doubt a great load of brown stuff will be hurled, but, it is what it is and found naturally as illustrated. Personally I think the similar feed back that you and I have had on this from completely differing independant sources is absolutely amazing.
I know what you mean. It's a contencious (sp?) subject. It'll all come to a head at some point though. Quite literally in this case.
 
Feb 15, 2011
3,860
2
Elsewhere
Sure was kind of someone bleaching them bones fer ya :)


Jonathan it is so infuriating when you do this, you put something up, then bugger off & leave us in the lurch.:(





Alright, we all know it's just a large domestic cat but what killed it is more interesting ....
 
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Mar 15, 2011
1,118
7
on the heather
The skull in the last image the one on the tape measure is almost certainly a cat, the very large eye socket is a dead giveaway, and the dentition on the upper jaw 2 premolars would suggest Felis lynx. Can’t say for sure from the image but if there is a 3rd premolar then that would indicate Felis sylvestiris, however Wildcat skull's are normally less than 12cm.
I don’t have any information on Bob Cat dentition so can’t help you there.
Was it a complete skeleton were all the vertebra there, basically was there a tail present ?.
 
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