Wolf Skull: Brand (aka Handsome)
I haven't done one of these in a while, and I have had this most of the way written up for a long time now. So here. Have some pictures of pretty pretty bones.
This guy is gorgeous. He's yellowed quite a bit since I took these pictures, but is still beautiful and just impressive as hell.
This is the skull that, for lack of a better name, I've been calling Handsome. He was young, very young, but absolutely enormous. We'll get to that in a moment. For now, note the prominent sutures in the nasal bones and around the eyesockets, characteristic of a young animal.
For size comparison, here he is next to an ironic CD.
A closeup of Handsome's teeth, showing what a young adult wolf's dentition looks like. Note that the bone has not pulled back much from the gum line of the teeth. The sockets are firm.
Note, too, the rough areas of bone above his back teeth. This is indicative of an animal that is still actively growing, and growing fast.
A beautiful shot comparing the teeth of Handsome, on the left, and Grond, the oldest and largest male I have, on the right. Note that Handsome's incisors have well-defined cups and ridges on the interior edge, which have been worn away on the older wolf's teeth.
A beautiful shot showing the porous bone above his carnassial teeth and the deep zygomatic suture. Again, signs of youth.
Sutures close in a different order in different animals. Mustelids, for example, have nasal bones that grow together very quickly. Canids have nasal bones that stay loose longer.
Here we can see perhaps the best indicator of an animal's age, an indicator that works for almost all species.
The sutures in the pterygoid region (the long horizontal channel in the middle of the picture) are still very open.
Compare Handsome on the top left to the huge old wolf on the bottom right. Note the sutures that have closed, the smoother palate.
Just a beautiful shot of his beautiful teeth.
Now, I said this guy was big. Here's the numbers again.
The author of the book I use for reference measured a couple hundred skulls, and he gives a range of greatest lengths for adult male wolves from 221.0 to 293.7 mm, with an average of 259.0 mm. That's 8.70 to 11.56 inches, with an average of 10.19 inches if you're a heathen like me.
Thane is 273.27 mm long, 10.75 inches, above average. He's fully mature, done with all growth.
Grond is enormous at 297.18, or 11.70 inches. Bigger than the biggest skull the guy who wrote the book I'm using measured.
Handsome, here, was 275.22 mm long, or 10.83 inches, and he still had a way to go. He would've caught up to Grond fast, considering that some of that big male's total length comes from the long sagittal crest.
And, finally, here, have some pictures of most of the pack.
From left to right, Arya, Grendel, Grond, Handsome, and Thane.
Top shot, to give you an idea of relative size.
And all in a neat little row.
They really are lovely.
As a bonus, here, have my wallpaper.
Both are in 1440 x 900 format.
Anyway. He doesn't have a name. While I am kind of digging Bran/Brand/Valbrand, I'm still taking suggestions! You all helped me name Grond (Thanks, crows_warning and tripleransom!) and Grendel (thanks to foxipher).
So, because I think it's really fun, I appeal to you: young, large, and handsome. What'll it be? He'll be joining Thane, Arya, Grond, Grendel, Diana, and two other unnamed skulls that I will surely be asking you for opinions about.
For the new, a note about bones and ethics.
This guy is gorgeous. He's yellowed quite a bit since I took these pictures, but is still beautiful and just impressive as hell.
This is the skull that, for lack of a better name, I've been calling Handsome. He was young, very young, but absolutely enormous. We'll get to that in a moment. For now, note the prominent sutures in the nasal bones and around the eyesockets, characteristic of a young animal.
For size comparison, here he is next to an ironic CD.
A closeup of Handsome's teeth, showing what a young adult wolf's dentition looks like. Note that the bone has not pulled back much from the gum line of the teeth. The sockets are firm.
Note, too, the rough areas of bone above his back teeth. This is indicative of an animal that is still actively growing, and growing fast.
A beautiful shot comparing the teeth of Handsome, on the left, and Grond, the oldest and largest male I have, on the right. Note that Handsome's incisors have well-defined cups and ridges on the interior edge, which have been worn away on the older wolf's teeth.
A beautiful shot showing the porous bone above his carnassial teeth and the deep zygomatic suture. Again, signs of youth.
Sutures close in a different order in different animals. Mustelids, for example, have nasal bones that grow together very quickly. Canids have nasal bones that stay loose longer.
Here we can see perhaps the best indicator of an animal's age, an indicator that works for almost all species.
The sutures in the pterygoid region (the long horizontal channel in the middle of the picture) are still very open.
Compare Handsome on the top left to the huge old wolf on the bottom right. Note the sutures that have closed, the smoother palate.
Just a beautiful shot of his beautiful teeth.
Now, I said this guy was big. Here's the numbers again.
The author of the book I use for reference measured a couple hundred skulls, and he gives a range of greatest lengths for adult male wolves from 221.0 to 293.7 mm, with an average of 259.0 mm. That's 8.70 to 11.56 inches, with an average of 10.19 inches if you're a heathen like me.
Thane is 273.27 mm long, 10.75 inches, above average. He's fully mature, done with all growth.
Grond is enormous at 297.18, or 11.70 inches. Bigger than the biggest skull the guy who wrote the book I'm using measured.
Handsome, here, was 275.22 mm long, or 10.83 inches, and he still had a way to go. He would've caught up to Grond fast, considering that some of that big male's total length comes from the long sagittal crest.
And, finally, here, have some pictures of most of the pack.
From left to right, Arya, Grendel, Grond, Handsome, and Thane.
Top shot, to give you an idea of relative size.
And all in a neat little row.
They really are lovely.
As a bonus, here, have my wallpaper.
Both are in 1440 x 900 format.
Anyway. He doesn't have a name. While I am kind of digging Bran/Brand/Valbrand, I'm still taking suggestions! You all helped me name Grond (Thanks, crows_warning and tripleransom!) and Grendel (thanks to foxipher).
So, because I think it's really fun, I appeal to you: young, large, and handsome. What'll it be? He'll be joining Thane, Arya, Grond, Grendel, Diana, and two other unnamed skulls that I will surely be asking you for opinions about.
For the new, a note about bones and ethics.