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Key to skulls of British Carnivores |  |
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| British carnivores include dogs, cats and mustelids. Their specialised teeth include large conical canines and shearing carnassials. | |||
| 1. | a) | Postorbital process well in front of mid-point. Upper surface of skull, including nasals, "welded" into a solid sheet. (Mustelid) | 3 |
| b) | Postorbital process close to or slightly behind mid-point. Upper surface of skull with clearly visible suture lines. (Cat, Dog or Fox) | 2 | |
| x | |||
| 2. | a) | Rostrum very short, less than the vertical diameter of the eye socket, 3-4 cheek teeth. | CAT |
| b) | Rostrum much longer* than the vertical diameter of the eye socket, 5-7 cheek teeth. | FOX or DOG | |
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* Some breeds of domestic dog, especially the "pug" types, may have
a very short rostrum. The Fox page deals with separating dog from fox skulls. | |||
| 3. | a) | Overall length of skull greater than 110mm. | 4 |
| b) | Overall length of skull less than 110mm. | 5 | |
| x | |||
| 4. | a) | Lower jaw permanently attached by curvature of joint, infraorbital foramen in front of eye socket, four cheek teeth. | BADGER |
| b) | Lower jaw detachable, infraorbital foramen beneath front edge of eye socket, five cheek teeth. | OTTER | |
| x | |||
| 5. | a) | Overall length of skull greater than 80mm. | PINE MARTEN |
| b) | Overall length of skull less than 80mm. | 6 | |
| x | |||
| 6. | a) | Overall length of skull greater than 55mm. |
POLECAT or MINK |
| b) | Overall length of skull less than 55mm. |
STOAT or WEASEL | |