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Project Noah Nature School
Procyon lotor
spotted on semi-improved property
I suspect that the boys in the family that recently acquired the property found and arranged the collection. I discovered them while walking with a neighbor's dog. The bones appear quite old, rather porous with algae growth.
Spotted on Sep 30, 2012
Submitted on Oct 1, 2012
3 Comments
Thanks for the confirmation, Emily. I based my guess largely on the prevalance of racoonshere; we have skunks, but they are few and far between in the area. (And the name: that's what that herd of nieces and nephews call me)
Hi Aunt Nance! (Love the name!) I had to pull out the Ol' Skull Book for this one, but I think your suggestion is dead on (pun intended) for a raccoon! My first thought was skunk, but after a little research, this is without a doubt a raccoon mandible!
Here's why: The teeth are sharp and pointed. Raccoons also have 6 teeth on each side of their mandible. Even though the mandible in your picture is missing a few teeth, it looks like there are 6 holes/spots total. Also, the shape and curve of the coronoid process is definitely raccoon and not a skunk! Thanks for joining the mission!
Aunt nance,
you can add it to this mission. Emily Marino,who runs the mission might be able to give you a good feedback.
http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/8475...
Hard to say without being able to see the skull.