Scapulae pt. 1
Detailing the scapulae I find, where I find them, and who they likely belonged to. I hope to turn this archive into a zine someday, and will make an effort to return to post more images or perhaps just make new posts as I go.
Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) : We were tracking along the Bruce Trail near Dunby rd. when we ducked into a small spring fed wet spot tucked in low between the high sandy hills. It was a thick Eastern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) forest with a few other trees and small ground cover growing nearby. We were moving slowly when someone mentioned that this was prime Porcupine territory. It was as if she called them in, or maybe she smelled the carcass on the air, because just as she said that someone noticed the mound of quills and bones on the forest floor.
Raccoon (Procyon lotor) : Out for a walk with my students up to the top of a hill near the school when one of them bent over and pointed out a bone. I got excited, and then she got excited and I started asking a bunch of questions, and she got to wondering as well. This was the second cool Raccoon find in the month. We found a dead Raccoon significantly infested with thousands of small maggots a couple of weeks before and this same student came over to watch as I cleaned the maggots off and removed the skull. I explained how to clean the skulls and how I glue the teeth back in after cleaning so I can then bring in the skull and share it with the kids.
Moose (Alces alces) : I was out trailing some Algonquin Wolves (Canis lupus lycaon) in Algonquin park, when we followed the trail from a logging road off Highway 60, down a fairly steep hill. We cut through some trees and brush, came across many urine deposits and some well worn beds in the deep snow. We came over a small rise facing uphill when we found the huge corpse of a Moose, with the upper half eaten and the under half (split laterally) buried in the snow. The Moose appeared to have laid down in the snow where their body heat melted the area around them and they sunk in some. They died in that spot and soon the Wolves found their way there. The scapula had been pulled off and left slightly to the side. Sadly it was broken before I could ask to keep it and bring it home for cleaning and studying. At least I got some useful photos.