Is this an ex-deer? (1 Viewer)

Hello,

I was out walking in some broad leaved woodland today when I came across these remains. We have a lower jawbone, pelvis and rear legs, shoulder blade and forelegs. Ribcage was nearby but difficult to photograph because of the undergrowth.

I was wondering what it was. The leatherman tool is shown in a couple of the pictures to give a sense of scale. The graduations on the top are in cm.

Way too big for rabbit, too bit for hare I thought, and wrong shape teeth? Bit too big for fox, I wondered if it had been a small deer? There were deer in the woods, we saw a couple (of live ones) running away, as you do.

Any other ideas or confirmation?

Regards,

Duncan

Hi Duncan

Yes, almost certainly a deer. The lower jaw clinches most of the id - it is way too big for rabbit or hare, not a fox because they would have canine teeth and your jaw shows a gap (diastema) between the front incisors and the back premolars. It is the classic shape of a herbivore.

The photo of the leg also supports the id - deer have very long metacarpals (the bones in our wrist) and I think you can just see that the leg ends in small hooves.

[I teach the skeleton to vet students so I know my way around the bones quite well]

Pete

Thanks Pete, much appreciated. Muntjac was my guess, but I'm no expert.

Muntjac would certainly fit for size. The Handbook of British Mammals gives the length of muntjac mandibles as 123-135mm for males and 122-133mm for females. The other possibility would be roe deer, 127-148. I wouldn't know how to separate them on these bones.