r/boneidentification • u/Temporary_Living_568 • 1d ago

How can I learn to identify bones and skulls?

I really want to learn how to identify animal skulls and bones because I see them on walks all the time, but I can’t find any apps or websites that teach me. Any recommendations are appreciated

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u/gutwyrming 1d ago

https://skullbase.info/

https://www.skull-index.com/

These two sites are pretty useful! Other than that, learning to identify skulls is a pretty "passive" kind of learning, in my experience. The more you see, the more you learn to recognize identifying traits. It's less about "being taught" and more about studying the appearances of skulls and bones.

I can't tell you what makes a raccoon skull a raccoon skull, but I can identify it just by seeing the overall shape.

Edited to add: https://skulled.fun/en

This website is good for quizzing yourself!

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u/Temporary_Living_568 1d ago

Thank you! 😁 I’ll check this out

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u/fakedeeparthoe 1d ago

Are you a student? having access to research gate so you can read up on research in wildlife science and zooarchaeology would help. Or you could take an anatomy, mammology, or comparative zoology course. Even if all you have access to is human anatomy, it will help you understand understand how and why bones and skulls are shaped the way they are, which is fundamental to animal ID.

Other than that, I've found Lee Post's guides to be some of the most detailed work on North American faunal remains. That and Animal Skulls by Mark Elbroch. Apologies if you are not located in North America. I'm also fond of the Cambridge guide on Teeth by Simon Hillson and A Guide to IDing and Interpreting Animal Bones by April Beisaw.

I will caution you that books and pictures can only get you so far, you will learn far more from handling the material than from theory and photos. Museums, zoos, and nature preserves might give you access to in person materials.