Question

Does anyone know what this is? I know this is not a land mammal because [details needed]. Unknown skull found under rock at beach. No sign of eye sockets or jaw with teeth. I have no idea what this is. Couldn't find any other bones. A reasonable match for many features, bearing in mind the incompleteness of the skull is that of theSouth African Fur Seal(AKA. brown fur seal, Australian fur seal).: Carolyn Stewardson, Tania Prvan, Meÿer MA, Raymond J Ritchie Copyright status unknown, fair usage viaResearchgate Shown here are views of an adult male of 10 years, the parts circled are those present in your specimen. The slight brow-ridge present on yours is just visible on the bottom plate. The marked difference between your specimen and this one is the presence of sutures between parietal and frontal bones, which seem to be fused on yours indicating an older specimen (perhaps up to30 years), but: Suture age was not a good indicator of absolute age or age group It's also difficult to tell the match of the slope of the skull bones away from the centre line particularly the parietal - which may be a match or not. Submitted until a better match comes along.

Answer 1

The unknown skull found at the beach may resemble the South African Fur Seal, but further evidence is needed for a definitive identification.

Step-by-step explanation:

The unknown skull found under a rock at the beach has some features that resemble the South African Fur Seal, such as the presence of sutures between parietal and frontal bones and a slight brow-ridge. However, it is important to note that the presence of fused sutures.

The slope of the skull bones away from the center line may indicate that the specimen is an older individual, possibly up to 30 years old. It is also difficult to make a definitive match based on the incomplete skull.

When examining fossils, it is important to consider various factors such as the age and preservation of the specimen, as well as the presence or absence of certain features. Without additional bones or more complete evidence, it is challenging to determine the exact identity of the unknown skull.