Holy Grail
I bought it only knowing that the skull was from a 14 year old animal. When I got it, I figured it was from a captive female and my Dad suggested I e-mail the seller asking for any information he could give me about the skull. Boy, did I get some information.
This beautiful lioness is named Sheba. The gentleman bought her at a roadside zoo in Sailsbury N.C. called the Charlotte Metro Zoo when she was 2 years old. He owned and cared for her up until her death at 14 (I did not want to press about causation.) He decided to have her skinned and her skull cleaned to remember her by, eventually deciding to sell the skull and have her skin turned into a shoulder mount. He offered to send me pictures of her when she was alive and I'm looking forward to seeing them once he gets back to me.
She is a stunning animal and is 12 5/8in long by 9in wide.
An African lion skull was one of my holy grails of holy grails - I have always wanted one, but could not justify the cost. Rumor has it that the U.S. plans to put them on our personal endangered species list (not the ICUN's list. Exactly what happened with polar bears.) and I was really worried about obtaining one before the prices went crazy. I have been really trying to get one for all of last year but the ones that fit my criteria (minimal damage, solid bone, no questionable glue stains) always went out of my pricepoint or were bought before I saw them. For whatever reason I was able to win this girl.
Her only damage is that her lower canines have lost some of their topmost enamel. I have never seen an African lion skull for sale that had the nasal bones so i don't consider the lack a defect. The bone is very, very dense with a different feel to it. Even the very delicate bones on the underside, where the sinus cavity connects to the the throat are still there, which is amazing. She had one molar that broke pre-mortem that is all smoothed over.
You can see her chipped molar. When I get home to my collection, I plan to take pictures of her with my other skulls to show size difference.
Look at how the sutures between the two "nose" bones and the skull are almost completely gone, very telling of her age.
You can see the super delicate bones I was talking about right below the auditory bullae.
Her nasal passage is HUGE. Since there are no nasal bones you can see out the back where it connects to the throat.
The upper canines are just shy of 4in root to tip and so thick.
I've had her for a few days now and just can't stop running my hands over her. I'm still in awe of the power she radiates, even in death. It gives me some happiness that she was never seen as trophy, but was a beloved pet.
She is a partial present from my other half (he told me he'd been trying to get me a African lion since before our anniversary last year) so I don't feel so guilty. The rest of my purchases lately have been for tanned skins which I consider educational/ business expenses... and I need to make a post about. 2 badgers and a white tail doe/buck set. I've just been busy visiting my Dad.
This beautiful lioness is named Sheba. The gentleman bought her at a roadside zoo in Sailsbury N.C. called the Charlotte Metro Zoo when she was 2 years old. He owned and cared for her up until her death at 14 (I did not want to press about causation.) He decided to have her skinned and her skull cleaned to remember her by, eventually deciding to sell the skull and have her skin turned into a shoulder mount. He offered to send me pictures of her when she was alive and I'm looking forward to seeing them once he gets back to me.
She is a stunning animal and is 12 5/8in long by 9in wide.
An African lion skull was one of my holy grails of holy grails - I have always wanted one, but could not justify the cost. Rumor has it that the U.S. plans to put them on our personal endangered species list (not the ICUN's list. Exactly what happened with polar bears.) and I was really worried about obtaining one before the prices went crazy. I have been really trying to get one for all of last year but the ones that fit my criteria (minimal damage, solid bone, no questionable glue stains) always went out of my pricepoint or were bought before I saw them. For whatever reason I was able to win this girl.
Her only damage is that her lower canines have lost some of their topmost enamel. I have never seen an African lion skull for sale that had the nasal bones so i don't consider the lack a defect. The bone is very, very dense with a different feel to it. Even the very delicate bones on the underside, where the sinus cavity connects to the the throat are still there, which is amazing. She had one molar that broke pre-mortem that is all smoothed over.
You can see her chipped molar. When I get home to my collection, I plan to take pictures of her with my other skulls to show size difference.
Look at how the sutures between the two "nose" bones and the skull are almost completely gone, very telling of her age.
You can see the super delicate bones I was talking about right below the auditory bullae.
Her nasal passage is HUGE. Since there are no nasal bones you can see out the back where it connects to the throat.
The upper canines are just shy of 4in root to tip and so thick.
I've had her for a few days now and just can't stop running my hands over her. I'm still in awe of the power she radiates, even in death. It gives me some happiness that she was never seen as trophy, but was a beloved pet.
She is a partial present from my other half (he told me he'd been trying to get me a African lion since before our anniversary last year) so I don't feel so guilty. The rest of my purchases lately have been for tanned skins which I consider educational/ business expenses... and I need to make a post about. 2 badgers and a white tail doe/buck set. I've just been busy visiting my Dad.