Deformed bear skull, need your opinion!!!!

Good God! Looks like some horrible bone disease.

 

It almost looks like sea coral. They are using coral to fight Osteoporosis now. Just a random guess but I wonder if he somehow had a calcium deficiency. Normally I think it is the marrow of the bone that looks that away with osteoporosis. If that is the case something has eaten away the periosteum.

 

wierd!

 

I have seen that in a lesser degree in badgers. I think it is from an infection such as would result from an abscessed tooth.

 

wow poor guy it musta hurt!

 

Yeah, maybe a gunshot wound that got infected.

 

maybe a shotgun blast to the jaw?

 

The lower jaw looks as tho it was broken and healed at some point in time, it then got infected and the resulting bone/calcium growth resulted. I've had a few old wolves with that type of growth (to a much lesser extent) on them. I'd be cleaning up and keeping that skull if possible Where is Wacbravo when ya need him! lol

 

Wow that is a weird specimen. I know when an animal gets to a certain age the bone starts to become more sponge like, but this is extreme. Had to have a bone disease.

 

I would side with Wolfwoman. Either a serious infection or the beginnings of cancer. It must have been in some serious pain. Fortunately someone put an end to it's suffering and didn't even know it. I would definitely be keeping that one.

 

Elephant man disease, in a bear.
That would bring a Lot of interest to biologists.

 

for me is effect of actinomycosis (or actinogranulomatosis).
I've see it in a roe deer and in a cow.

 

I was thinking the very same thing.

 

dork bear?