Found buried in the bank of a creek in Charlotte, NC.

[Recoveredmol]

Can anyone help ID? Any idea of age?

Is it fossilized?

Thanks.

 

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[ncsuwolf]

Can anyone help ID? Any idea of age?

Is it fossilized?

Thanks.

Cow skull?

 

[Tnmountains]

I would guess a bison skull. Very old.. Probably not fossilized if soft. You can strengthen it with super glue.
If I was you I would try the "what is it" forum for more views.
Good luck.

 

[Red-Coat]

Obviously, it’s a bovid skull and, if fossilised, would have to be Bison not Bos (cow). However, if unfossilised, it could be either but it’s very small for Bison and would have to be a juvenile.

Generally, Bison are more massively built than cattle, with a larger skull that has a broad triangular shape viewed from above. The horn cores tend to be thick at the base, tapering strongly.

But (apart from the fact that these clues are not always present in every skull – especially not broken ones), there can be considerable overlap of cattle skull morphology into bison morphology in isolated skulls – dependent on size/age of animal and breed/species. Generally it’s easier to say a skull is definitely Bos than it is to say it’s definitely Bison.

The easiest and most reliable way to tell the difference between them (because it’s not dependent on size/age of animal) is by the arrangement of nasal and premaxilla on the rostrum (front) of the skull. That’s most easily judged by a side view rather than a top view.

The nasal bone is on the uppermost surface at the front of the skull. Below that are the premaxilla and maxilla (running laterally and ventrally respectively). These are jagged wedges of bone above the jaws at the front of the skull. In bison, the nasal and premaxilla are always well separated. There’s a significant gap. In cattle, the two bones normally touch, or very nearly touch. These pictures demonstrate the difference:

[pics from ‘thewildside’ blog]

The other reliable differentiator between Bison and Bos skulls is the degree to which the orbits (eye sockets) of the skull protrude in dorsal view. Specifically, whether they protrude far enough to obscure the zygomatic arches (essentially represented by the cheek bones). If you look at the (very typical) Bison skull below, the orbits protrude an extremely long way – although it isn’t always as obvious as that – such that you can’t see anything of the cheek bones below:

Picture by [OnewiththewilD]

Without those diagnostics, which I can’t see clearly in your pictures, it’s not possible to definitively say Bison or Bos.

 

[Recoveredmol]

Obviously, it’s a bovid skull and, if fossilised, would have to be Bison not Bos (cow). However, if unfossilised, it could be either but it’s very small for Bison and would have to be a juvenile.

Generally, Bison are more massively built than cattle, with a larger skull that has a broad triangular shape viewed from above. The horn cores tend to be thick at the base, tapering strongly.

But (apart from the fact that these clues are not always present in every skull – especially not broken ones), there can be considerable overlap of cattle skull morphology into bison morphology in isolated skulls – dependent on size/age of animal and breed/species. Generally it’s easier to say a skull is definitely Bos than it is to say it’s definitely Bison.

The easiest and most reliable way to tell the difference between them (because it’s not dependent on size/age of animal) is by the arrangement of nasal and premaxilla on the rostrum (front) of the skull. That’s most easily judged by a side view rather than a top view.

The nasal bone is on the uppermost surface at the front of the skull. Below that are the premaxilla and maxilla (running laterally and ventrally respectively). These are jagged wedges of bone above the jaws at the front of the skull. In bison, the nasal and premaxilla are always well separated. There’s a significant gap. In cattle, the two bones normally touch, or very nearly touch. These pictures demonstrate the difference:

View attachment 2165943
[pics from ‘thewildside’ blog]

The other reliable differentiator between Bison and Bos skulls is the degree to which the orbits (eye sockets) of the skull protrude in dorsal view. Specifically, whether they protrude far enough to obscure the zygomatic arches (essentially represented by the cheek bones). If you look at the (very typical) Bison skull below, the orbits protrude an extremely long way – although it isn’t always as obvious as that – such that you can’t see anything of the cheek bones below:

View attachment 2165944
Picture by [OnewiththewilD]

Without those diagnostics, which I can’t see clearly in your pictures, it’s not possible to definitively say Bison or Bos.

Thank you for the in depth response. Very impressive.

I don't think this skull has the parts that you describe as good identifiers.

Thanks for your help.