Thanks to everyone who commented on the photographs of the skull that we posted up the other day. I am certain that it is indeed a raccoon skull. Chris Kraska wrote:'The other options were ringtail or coatimundi as they have similar dentition but the paroccipital process and auditory bulla are wrong for both. Also the skull shape is distinct. It's a very young animal as the sagittal crest is not developed as it is in older animals. The dead giveaway is the length of the hard palate and how far it continues posteriorly of the teeth.'
It was found on the land of Devin Macanally, close by the location of several blue dog sightings. Ironically a trail camera placed there two nights before picked up images of a ringtail (Bassariscus astutus), which, though also a type of raccoon, is known locally as `the ringtailed cat`, and I had vaguely wondered whether the skull was of this species.
But what the hell is this?
It was found in several locations nearby, draped on branches, and also fallen on the ground. It is organic and smells disgusting....
Its a slime mould.
ReplyDeleteLooks Fungial or Bacterial but looking more closely I would have to agree with Richard. Probably some form of Myxomycetes by the look of it.
ReplyDeleteI concur slime mould. They can be a variety of colours, grow quite large, and move much more quickly than you might expect. According to some recent research, they can also make some amazingly logical choices on their food, as well.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pnas.org/content/107/10/4607