My curio collection. Part 1: canine skulls.
I want to share my collection with you all. Thing is, it is SO huge that it wouldn't do to show it all at once. I am still photographing much of it. So I'll do it in sections. :)
Today's post is canine skulls.
My very first skull that I bought ever. I named him Fenrir, after Final Fantasy's Cloud's motorcycle-beast.
Measures: 11"
Fenrir is on the left. Seton is on the right. Seton was mailed me with the wrong teeth so his jaws can't close all the way. So I glued them open.
Seton measures: 11"
It didn't long long for me to decide that I wanted "unique" skulls in my collection. Skulls with pathologies. Fenrir is one of the few that remains in my collection who does not have any pathologies. Most of the ones without pathologies I end up selling off. But Fenrir is special. Now look again at Seton and see his rotten tooth. :)
This bully breed dog is also one of the few in my collection without any pathologies. He was part of a cull of some wild, nuisance bully dogs somewhere and has the jagged hole in the back of his head to show it.
Measures: 8" long and 6" wide.
I measured his width cause he just looks very very sturdy and really wide. My other bully skulls don't look anything like he does. he must have had an awe-inspiring face.
These next two are some of my faves. Two bully breed dogs that a skull cleaner found in the woods and cleaned up. Aside from their own pathologies they also show signs of being gnawed on by wildlife.
The bigger one measures 8 and 3/4" The smaller one measures 7"
This coyote skull holds special meaning for me as it's the first, and still the only, skull that I found in the woods while camping one year. In fact, the pic of the chihuahua is a pic I took of her right before she lead me to it. I had been praising her like crazy every time she'd paw at a deer leg bone (there were a few in the area). She kept stariiiiiing up this ravine so I went up there, a bit nervously as a bobcat had been seen in the area (they're shy creatures, yes, I wasn't too worried about it really) and I had seen a TON of coyote markings in the area (poops, and deep trench scratches next to them) so I wondering what else was gonna pop up. No measurement cause I am lazy about getting it out of that display...
This dog was an ebay find. I find it very touching. Yes, there's a bullet hole in it but let me explain: the worn-down teeth and the fused sutures say this was a very very old dog. Also, the bullet is right between the eyes. To me this all means it was a mercy killing by someone who loved it and wanted it to go fast. I've known folks who have put down their own dogs and it's always heart breaking to hear, and they always cry when they tell the story. One guy almost backed out and lowered his rifle from his beloved dog (I knew the dog, and I knew the man personally, and they were very close) when the dog stood up and walked over to him, licked his gun hand, then walked back to where it had been sitting and waiting and looked at him again.
It measures 9 and 1/4"
This dog is so old it's all gums on the front of it's mouth. It came in a bulk-buy deal I got of 30-some dog skulls (I carve on skulls as well) and was one of the few I pulled for my own.
Measures: 8"
Old fox skull with bad teeth.
Measures: 5 and 1/4"
Coyote skull with an underbite. I have a huge poster of the 2nd pic.
Measures: 8"
I cleaned this coyote's whole skeleton. I also gave his corpse a shave to try and work with the fiber of his fur. I bought his whole body from a local hunter who wasn't sure what to do with him. He is HUGE for a New Mexico coyote, no one believed me until I got him cleaned and measured even though I posted a pic of him dwarfing a yard-stick while half-shaven even. lol. Comparing him to other coyotes who have roughly the same size skull I am guestimating he weighed around 40pounds. Someone was selling a 45 pounder and measured it's skull at 8" so I may be guessing low even. His baculum (penis bone) and skull sit on the shelf together. His skeleton still needs a little work.
Measures: 8.5" and his penis-bone measures 3.5"
Dog skull that was gifted to me. I am thinking of grinding out the hole in the middle (that hole was put there by the lady's dogs who chewed it up) and putting a tiny pot there. Sealing it up, spraying it white, and have a nice little plant display.
A russian german shepherd dog. Notice the worn teeth and fused sutures.
Measures: 10"
A texas german shepherd dog. Also really old but a little younger than the russian one.
Measures: 10.5"
Both the german shepherds are huge. As is Fenrir. Had Fenrir been allowed to grow up he would have been a beast. Here are the two GSD's and Fenrir's foreheads for comparison. Also notice Fenrir's size next to them, and he's still a youngin'!
Today's post is canine skulls.
My very first skull that I bought ever. I named him Fenrir, after Final Fantasy's Cloud's motorcycle-beast.
Measures: 11"
Fenrir is on the left. Seton is on the right. Seton was mailed me with the wrong teeth so his jaws can't close all the way. So I glued them open.
Seton measures: 11"
It didn't long long for me to decide that I wanted "unique" skulls in my collection. Skulls with pathologies. Fenrir is one of the few that remains in my collection who does not have any pathologies. Most of the ones without pathologies I end up selling off. But Fenrir is special. Now look again at Seton and see his rotten tooth. :)
This bully breed dog is also one of the few in my collection without any pathologies. He was part of a cull of some wild, nuisance bully dogs somewhere and has the jagged hole in the back of his head to show it.
Measures: 8" long and 6" wide.
I measured his width cause he just looks very very sturdy and really wide. My other bully skulls don't look anything like he does. he must have had an awe-inspiring face.
These next two are some of my faves. Two bully breed dogs that a skull cleaner found in the woods and cleaned up. Aside from their own pathologies they also show signs of being gnawed on by wildlife.
The bigger one measures 8 and 3/4" The smaller one measures 7"
This coyote skull holds special meaning for me as it's the first, and still the only, skull that I found in the woods while camping one year. In fact, the pic of the chihuahua is a pic I took of her right before she lead me to it. I had been praising her like crazy every time she'd paw at a deer leg bone (there were a few in the area). She kept stariiiiiing up this ravine so I went up there, a bit nervously as a bobcat had been seen in the area (they're shy creatures, yes, I wasn't too worried about it really) and I had seen a TON of coyote markings in the area (poops, and deep trench scratches next to them) so I wondering what else was gonna pop up. No measurement cause I am lazy about getting it out of that display...
This dog was an ebay find. I find it very touching. Yes, there's a bullet hole in it but let me explain: the worn-down teeth and the fused sutures say this was a very very old dog. Also, the bullet is right between the eyes. To me this all means it was a mercy killing by someone who loved it and wanted it to go fast. I've known folks who have put down their own dogs and it's always heart breaking to hear, and they always cry when they tell the story. One guy almost backed out and lowered his rifle from his beloved dog (I knew the dog, and I knew the man personally, and they were very close) when the dog stood up and walked over to him, licked his gun hand, then walked back to where it had been sitting and waiting and looked at him again.
It measures 9 and 1/4"
This dog is so old it's all gums on the front of it's mouth. It came in a bulk-buy deal I got of 30-some dog skulls (I carve on skulls as well) and was one of the few I pulled for my own.
Measures: 8"
Old fox skull with bad teeth.
Measures: 5 and 1/4"
Coyote skull with an underbite. I have a huge poster of the 2nd pic.
Measures: 8"
I cleaned this coyote's whole skeleton. I also gave his corpse a shave to try and work with the fiber of his fur. I bought his whole body from a local hunter who wasn't sure what to do with him. He is HUGE for a New Mexico coyote, no one believed me until I got him cleaned and measured even though I posted a pic of him dwarfing a yard-stick while half-shaven even. lol. Comparing him to other coyotes who have roughly the same size skull I am guestimating he weighed around 40pounds. Someone was selling a 45 pounder and measured it's skull at 8" so I may be guessing low even. His baculum (penis bone) and skull sit on the shelf together. His skeleton still needs a little work.
Measures: 8.5" and his penis-bone measures 3.5"
Dog skull that was gifted to me. I am thinking of grinding out the hole in the middle (that hole was put there by the lady's dogs who chewed it up) and putting a tiny pot there. Sealing it up, spraying it white, and have a nice little plant display.
A russian german shepherd dog. Notice the worn teeth and fused sutures.
Measures: 10"
A texas german shepherd dog. Also really old but a little younger than the russian one.
Measures: 10.5"
Both the german shepherds are huge. As is Fenrir. Had Fenrir been allowed to grow up he would have been a beast. Here are the two GSD's and Fenrir's foreheads for comparison. Also notice Fenrir's size next to them, and he's still a youngin'!