Little Brown Bat (myotis)
Classification: Order
Chiroptera
Description: A
small bat with simple nose; moderately long ears with long,
pointed tragus (ear flap); tail extending to edge of tail
membrane; long hairs on toes. Fur long, silky, glossy; tan,
reddish, or dark brown; paler beneath. Length of head and body
1.6-2.2 in, forearm 1.3-1.6 in; weight about 0.3 oz. This very
common nocturnal species eats flying insects caught on the wing.
Seasonal in habit, little brown bats roost in colonies of up to
several thousand, choosing warm sites such as attics or caves in
summer. They breed in late summer and autumn, though
fertilization is delayed until spring, and migrate up to 290
miles to form winter colonies in caves where temperatures remain
just above freezing. There they hibernate, rousing themselves
about every 2 weeks to move to more favorable positions.
Age: Modern
Size: 6in/1.5mm
Item#:
modern-little-brown-bat-skull-r-s11-va
Cost: $95
(+ shipping)
Fruit Bat (Pteropus vampyrus)
Classification: Order Chiroptera
Description:
Fruit bats, like other bats, have very long, webbed fingers that
serve as wings. Fruit bats also have very good senses of smell
and sight (contrary to the myth that all bats are blind). Fruit
bats are nocturnal, and hang from their feet during the day.
They may hang with their wings wrapped around their bodies, or,
if it is hot, may use their wings to fan themselves. Although
fruit bats are good at flying, landing is another story! Fruit
bats can't land gracefully, and instead must crash into bushes
or trees to come to a stop, or try to latch onto a branch as
they pass by. Sometimes these crash-landings disturb other fruit
bats at the site, and cause noisy fights amongst them.
Age: Modern
Size: 3.1in/.80mm
Item#: modern-fruit-bat-skull-r-s73-va
Cost: $95
(+ shipping)
Rock Hyrax Skull
Classification: Family Procavia
Description:
They are usually brownish gray on the back and cream underneath,
although some hyraxes are yellowish in color. The coat is dense
with thick underfur, but on the back there is a hairless area
corresponding to the position of a dorsal gland which produces
the characteristic odor of the species. The gland is surrounded
by longer, erectile hairs which are yellow, orange, brown, or
black. The upper incisors are triangular in cross section and
evergrowing, like the rodents. They are about 12 to 22" long,
with a short tail about 1/2 in, and they weigh up to 9.5 lbs.
This is the only species of hyrax found outside of Africa. They
live in colonies, unlike the tree hyraxes. These colonies are
composed of family units which may number more than fifty
individuals, which usually remain close to rocky crevices where
they can duck out of sight when danger looms. They are diurnal
and spend much time sunning themselves. They are vegetarian, and
may forage as far as half-a-football-field away from the safety
of the rocks in seach of food. They need very little water to
survive.
Age: Modern
Size: 3.7 in/9.3 cm
Item#: rock-hyrax-skull-r-s307-va
Cost: $95
(+ shipping)
Eurasian Hedgehog Skull
Description:
A large, stout insectivore with short tail and short ears, the
hedgehog's head, back, and sides are evenly covered with dense
sharp spines. Its color is brown with yellow spine tips, paler
on the face and underparts. Head and body are about 8 to 12"
long, and its weight is about 2 lbs. This common animal builds a
nest of grass and leaves among tree roots or under a bush. It
forages from dusk to dawn, noisily sniffing out worms, insects,
snails, and small vertebrates, including snakes. Its eyesight is
poor, but hearing and smell are acute. When alarmed it rolls
into a tight, spiny ball for protection. A hedgehog will
sometimes lick a strange object of pungent odor until its saliva
becomes frothy, then with its tongue it licks its spines with
the froth. The purpose of this behavior is unknown. Hedgehogs
hibernate in cold climates. Similar, related species range
throughout Africa and Eurasia.
Age: Modern
Size: 2.1 in
Item#: eurasian-hedgehog-skull-r-s320-va
Cost: $95
(+ shipping)
Golden Rumped Elephant Shrew Skull
Description:
This large elephant-shrew, or sengi , gains its common name for
the distinctive golden coloured fur on its rump. In common with
other elephant-shrews the snout is long, pointed and flexible,
and the tail is almost naked. The coat is coarse but glossy and
a dark reddish-brown colour apart from the yellowish/golden rump
and a white tip to the tail. There is a 'dermal shield' of
thickened skin under the sengi's rump patch that is 3 times
thicker than the skin on the middle of the back. This shield is
thicker in males than in females and is thought to act as
protection against the biting attacks of other males. The
taxonomic relationship of this group has always been difficult
to assess but elephant-shrews are not closely related to shrews,
as their name would appear to suggest; recent molecular evidence
places sengis (order Macroscelidea) in an ancient group of
African mammals that also includes elephants, hyraxes and golden
moles, amongst others.
Age: Modern
Size: 2.7 in / 6.8 cm
Item#: golden-rumped-elephant-shrew-skull-ca-24527-va
Cost: $120
(+ shipping)
Solenodon Hispaniola Female Skull
Description:
The size of a large rat, this animal has a distinctive long,
tubular snout with nostrils on the sides, small eyes and ears, a
long, nearly naked tail, and hairless five-toed feet bearing
sharp, slightly curved claws. The fur is long and coarse, buff
to yellow, often mixed with black. Total length about 12"and
weight about 1.3 lb. The rare terrestrial solenodon is a
slow-moving, nocturnal animal that feeds on ants, other insects,
grubs, small reptiles, fruit and other plant matter, for which
it roots about on the ground, through forest litter, and ripping
open rotten logs. By day, in family groups of up to 8
individuals, it shelters in caves, rock crevices, or hollow
logs. Its elongated cartilaginous snout and scent glands in the
armpits and groin suggest that smell is the solenodon's
predominant sense. The solenodon has poisonous salivary glands
with ducts opening at the base of its large second lower
incisors, which are deeply grooved on the inner sides to inject
venom when biting.
Age: Modern
Size: 3.5 in
/ 9.0 cm
Item#:
solenodon-hispaniola-skull-r-s97-va
Cost: $120
(+ shipping)
Aardvark Skull
Classification: Family
Orycteropodidae
Description:
This is a fairly large creature, with a curved back and a
cylindrical, rather piglike snout, from whence its name. Its
ears are long and tough, and it has strong feet with four toes
on the front foot and five on the back. All the toes have large
claws for digging. The grayish skin is thick and bare except for
a few scattered hairs. The aardvark grows about 40 to 60 in
long, with the tail extending another 18 to 24 inches. It weighs
from 175 to 200 lbs. This is the only living representative of
the Tubulidentata order. The aardvark is a completely nocturnal
creature and very difficult to observe since it spends the day
in its burrow. It is an exceptional digger, and can disappear
underground rapidly, especially when danger is near. Its tunnel
system can sometimes be long and complex, with numerous
openings, but they invariably lead eventually to a large
chamber. Their tunnels are often used by other animals for
shelter, as well. The aardvark feeds on termites, which it pulls
into its mouth with a long sticky tongue.
Age: Modern
Size: 9.1 in / 23.0 cm
Item#: aardvark-skull-r-s55-va
Cost: $250
(+ shipping)
