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Teeth of the African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus).

Don’t their premolars look a little like seal post-canine teeth? 

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German shepherd and bull terrier skull.

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The pressure’s rising I won’t make it through tonight This love immortal is an assassin’s delight Just blow me up or run me down or cut my throat And when it’s time for you to die…

Free the Animal by Sia More of my photos of deads from a recent road trip here

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Tarbosaurus bataar. Late Cretaceous. Mongolia, Dentary, premaxillary and maxillary teeth.

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Visited the zooarchaeology lab this morning!

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My bank account is real sad right now and I need money for bills so I’m putting these two glow wolves in the shop later today. Tiny update. Actually I think I have a glow cat or two also.

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Mi.nk skeleton articulation

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Cat skull mask auction is live!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/wasteland-cat-skull-mask-missmonster-original-ooak-/302401852952?

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The soul remains.

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Some of my canids and their canines, showing the process of losing baby teeth. Top: Juvenile fox (I know they’re not canines, but they are canids) with sharp baby teeth.  Next: A puppy with the sharp baby teeth, and the bigger adult tooth just starting to peek in over it. You can see the same thing happening with the nearest incisor.  Third: Older puppy with adult tooth growing on top of baby canine. Double canines! You can also see the next incisor coming in with the baby incisor on top. The root was almost completely dissolved.  Bottom: Adult Dog with adult teeth

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dream cat, teaser for the shop update next week. details to follow

(solid pigmented resin cast)

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Iguana Skulls & Megalodon Teeth.

I just listed these beauties and a few more treasures in my Etsy shop!

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The skull of the Chinese Water Deer is one of the most iconic skulls out there. 

Like many small Asian deer species, it does not have antlers. Instead the males fight each other with their extremely sharp tusks, slashing at rivals with downward head swings. 

When not actively shanking others, the tusks can be folded back slightly., so they don’t interfere with eating. 

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The skull of a Bengal tiger rests along side the skull of a domestic cat.

Notice the proportionally smaller braincase and eyes in the tiger, and the much larger flanges for muscle attachment, in comparison to the overall size of the skull.

As animals scale up in size, more muscle is needed to bear the additional weight and counteract the effects of gravity. To anchor the increased mass of the muscle, bones become more robust. Thicker, heavier, with larger flanges, and deeper hollows to provide the additional muscle with leverage. 

It’s a cyclic system. More muscle is needed to support heavier bone which in turn supports more muscle…etc. 

You’d think it could go on forever, but as animals become larger and more powerful, they also become heavier. For land predators, the cycle reaches a cutoff size when the increasing weight begins to negatively affect agility, maneuverability, and the ability to successfully catch prey. 

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Some recent skeletons I have done, a Sulawesi Rat Snake and a Green Tree Python.

Looking back from when I first started, I think I’m finally starting to get the hang of things.

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Bones are interesting because you can sometimes read the patterns of wear and growth like reading a book.

I got a couple of stray cat skulls, and this guy has a pretty interesting story to him.

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