So, you’ve found a skull or bone and would like to know what it is. You’ve come to the right place. There are several good ways to identify an animal skull.

1. You can compare it with other known specimens. However, this can be less than accurate and most people do not have access to a large collection of identified skulls.
    
2. You can use a dichotomous key. A dichotomous key allows a person, through a series of questions, to identify an organism by process of elimination. Plants, fish and even skulls can be identified using this method. Skulls Unlimited offers several dichotomous keys to choose from.
    
3. You can ask the SkullMaster! Skulls Unlimited’s Director of Education and SkullMaster, Joey Williams has been collecting, studying, and identifying skulls for over 30 years. Simply, send several photos and as much info as you can provide to The SkullMaster and he will be happy to identify your skull for you.
   
   Info to include; Location where the skull was found, Length of skull, and please make sure the photos are not blurry. Send To: education@skullsunlimited.com

Below is a gallery of common mis-identifications. We receive hundreds of emails asking for identification help each year. Approximately 90% of these end up being either a partial fish cranium or a bird’s pelvis. Does your “skull or bone” look like any of the photos below?

Click on Pictures to Enlarge