Podalirio del fantasista/ FALCO!

Hi everyone, happy Pride Month!

These are skulls of male chinese muntjacs, belonging to two different subspecies: Muntiacus reevesi reevesi (bigger one, native to mainland China) and M. reevesi micrurus (smaller one, endemic to the island of Taiwan).

They're full of distinctive features:

sharp tusks which help individuals in fighting, removing bark from trees, or digging;

right in front of the eye sockets, two large cavities called suborbital pits, where in life the scent glands would have been located. They are are fundamental for communication, as they release secretions used to mark territory and signal to other individuals;

two long bony pedicles that become more robust as they age and on which the antlers grow. As in other deer species, the antlers are shed and regrow periodically.

Honestly, I’m kind of scared this might come off as extremely cringe to post. But I can’t let that limit my fun. A huge thank you to @wingsofhcpe for helping me so much with these drawings.

All my fellas love bats 🗣️

New creature from my sketchbook <3

The skull of a two-toed sloth.

Sharp fangs are not exclusive to predators. These animals, like their armored relatives (Cingulata), have teeth that grow continuously and lack enamel; by grinding against each other, they become pointed. The tannins in the leaves they feed on make them turn almost black.

Oh, and they also have impressive claws…

*fairly long post about animal cranial anatomy*

Contrary to common belief, rabbits and hares (Leporidae), together with pikas (Ochotonidae), do not belong to the order of rodents; They are, instead, lagomorphs.

I won’t dwell on behavioral or dietary differences, but I will show you a small detail of the skull that makes them distinguishable at a glance. First, let’s see if you can spot it yourself!

Got it? The answer lies in the incisors. While rodents have a single upper pair, often (but not always) colored red or orange - lagomorphs have two pairs of incisors in the upper jaw.

These teeth are called peg teeth, and they help them grind fibrous food.

What does your pet look like beneath its skin and muscles?

Here’s a small selection: meerkat, dog (Dogue de Bordeaux), cat and rabbit. The dog, being prognathous and brachycephalic, certainly offers quite a spectacle for skull enthusiasts, with its rotated molars and an extra tooth between the upper incisors and canine.

Did you know? The deep ocean is as black as the night sky, and at its bottom you can find many stars.

Don't trust collectors who say that nasal turbinates don't matter.

The inside of an animal’s nasal cavity tells us lots of information about the environment it lived in and the family it belongs to. Aggressive treatments such as boiling damage them: anyone who uses those methods to “clean” bones is not a true enthusiast.