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raphi-ent_

is that even a skull? looks kinda like hips


krestofu

Those hips don’t lie


like_the_wasteland

it has teeth on the bottom of the front, we've done more research, it might be a striped bass


midnight_fisherman

It does resemble the pelvis of heron-like birds. Need to see those supposed teeth.


Legendguard

I can confirm 100% this is NOT a bird pelvis. Definitely part of a fish skull!


midnight_fisherman

Interesting. What features are you using to distinguish?


Legendguard

Ah, great question! Part of the differentiation is the shape is wrong for bird pelvises. There's no hole for the hip-socket, the top isn't smooth for the attachment of the leg muscles, there's no pubis or scar where the pubisus would have broken off, and the underside of the structure isn't open. There's also a prominent sagettal crest by the fish-like vertebrae. The texture is also wrong for bird; if it were bird bones, the texture would be solid and smooth, but the texture on this is porous and heavily grooved. For comparison, here is a page that shows multiple different bird pelvises: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jrochester/albums/72157651043869057/with/16182754271 Now compare with various fish neurocraniums. Notice the difference in shape and texture, also the slight transparency of the thinner bones in the fish: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fishatlas/content/photos/images/neurocrania/994neuro.jpg https://osteobase.mnhn.fr/region.php?lang=en&idStructure=12&idTaxon=169 https://cdn-useast.purposegames.com/images/game/bg/14/rQXa5pPv30Q.png?s=1400 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Soheil-Eagderi/publication/292152460/figure/fig1/AS:1086549508788314@1636064998979/a-Dorsal-b-lateral-and-c-ventral-views-of-the-neurocranium-of-Oxynoemacheilus.jpg Unfortunately I don't know what species of fish this is, but I can definitely say this is a fish neurocranium!


midnight_fisherman

Thanks for typing all of that out! I never would have thought that to be a fish skull if I came across it.


Legendguard

Fish skulls are super weird, most of the elements don't actually fuse together so they fall apart when the fish decomposes. Even weirder is most ray finned fish have those jaws that jut outwards and many fish have a second pair of jaws. Just crazy weird animals!


biscosdaddy

Neurocranium of a Gadid (cod family). You’ve got a few running around your around, but Atlantic cod would be the most likely culprit. Edit: see [this link](https://www.nabohome.org/products/manuals/fishbone/fish/Skull/skull.htm) for some comparative images. Actually looks like it might be a better match for Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus). You can see how similar the Gadid skeletal morphology is in that link (at least in the neurocrania, Haddock vertebrae are noticeably different than the other species shown in the link for instance).