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What do you think this is?


ZoomZoom6

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There is no known animal between both my gf and I (both have extensive animal science, zoology, oceanography, reproduction, etc backgrounds) that matches that description; hairless, shelless(<-word? lol) or otherwise. I am 100% sure that is not any known specie of racoon or turtle. My first thought is photochop and the original belief, that it's related to another viral marketing campaign.

However, that doesn't mean my curiousity ends as I don't base my beliefs off of speculation and assumptions. Hmm, some of you should take that as advice to apply in other areas of your lives. ;)

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Ok, it seems it could be a water vole. Digging around, I found someone else who thinks the same. THey're even known to lose their hair and thin out by the second winter and die. This specimen seems to big, but it could be due to bloat. However, water voles are thought only to live in the nw of the US and the sw of Canada. The skulls are vaguely similar with a beak like protrusion when the flesh is removed. It's hard to see in the pic to be sure, though.

If it's real, I'm sure someone will find and test it.

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Actually guys, it IS a raccoon. When you skin one out for taxidermy, you take flesh of the nose along with the skin in order to keep the whiskers, which go pretty deep because of the nerves involved. The "beak" is just the end of the skull minus the cartilage and flesh.

The reason you don't see guts hanging out is because the is because you leave membrane under the skin intact, if you have any skill.

The shape of the face, the musculature around the jaw, and eyes, and the underlying bone structure, along with the shape of the exposed bone in the nose point towards raccoon, and the shape of the body, with that fat butt, confirm it.

If anyone needs REAL proof, study the teeth closely, then head over to Blendon and take a look at the coon skull on the kids touch-table.

 

And in case you're wondering why I know what a skinned raccoon looks like, I've helped my Mom skin out more animals than I care to think about. She's the Naturalist at Blendon, and uses some of the furs, and a LOT of skeletons in her various educational programs. And of course, I get stuck helping her prep them if I come over while she's working on them...

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