Animal Skulls Like You’ve Never Seen Them Before

Dawn RaffelUpdated: Mar. 07, 2022

It's easy to recognize a human head beneath its flesh, but some of these animal skulls might surprise you.

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photography by Nick Mann

What’s Under Your Skin?

While less than one twentieth of one percent of the entire animal kingdom has a skull, the human skull is made up of 22 separate bones.

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photography by Nick Mann

Whose Skull Is This?

It looks kind of like a bone octopus, but…..

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istock/knape

Chihauha

…It’s a chihauha, minus the cute parts. This breed’s skull is among the most unrecognizable of all dogs.

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photography by Nick Mann

Whose Skull Is This?

It looks like it belongs to a monster, but really…..

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istock/MilanEXPO

Domestic cat

…It’s just a kitty. In some very old houses, cat skulls are buried under the fireplace; it was believed they offered protection from witches.

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photography by Nick Mann

Whose Skull Is This?

Hint: This one really is a monster.

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istock/JaysonPhotography

Gila Monster

A Gila Monster’s skull is strangely knobby, with sharp, needle-like teeth.

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photography by Nick Mann

Whose Skull Is This?

This beauty moves fast, perhaps to keep trophy hunters from stealing its horns.

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istock/dangdumrong

Blackbuck

The Blackbuck is an Indian antelope found on ranches in North America. Only the males have horns.

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photography by Nick Mann

Whose Skull Is This?

Calling the orthodontist!

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istock/Nailia Schwarz

Boston Terrier

The Boston Terrier’s lower jaw extends beyond the upper, giving its face a distinctive look, thanks to selective breeding. That’s reflected in the animal’s skull.

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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Skulls

For more, see Skulls by Simon Winchester, with photography by Nick Mann (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers).

Originally Published: June 25, 2013

Originally Published in Reader's Digest