# My dog brought home a twi skulls that I can't identify.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-brought-home-a-twi-skulls-that-i-cant-identify/697011
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 30, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-brought-home-a-twi-skulls-that-i-cant-identify/697011 "2014-08-30T22:44:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-brought-home-a-twi-skulls-that-i-cant-identify/697011/1 "2014-08-30T22:44:13Z")
Can you identify these skulls that my dog brought home? These were found on (or very near) a Cape Cod seashore. I can’t even tell if they’re mammal, reptile, or fish.
[http://www.bizer.com/140830\_221523\_0733A.jpg](http://www.bizer.com/140830_221523_0733A.jpg)
The top of the face is very rough, like sandpaper. At first, I thought sand had fused to the skull, but I soaked them in water overnight and none of the “sand” came off.
The skulls are lying on a glass table. The skull on the right is face-down. In both cases, the lower jaw was not found.
Here’s a larger version of the same photograph. [http://www.bizer.com/140830\_221523\_0733F.jpg](http://www.bizer.com/140830_221523_0733F.jpg)
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2014, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-brought-home-a-twi-skulls-that-i-cant-identify/697011/2 "2014-08-30T23:16:48Z")
Fish skulls, I think. Not sure what species, but for general comparison, here’s the skull of a cuckoo gurnard:
> **[Image - Chelidonichthys cuculus (Cockoo Gurnard) | BioLib.cz](https://www.biolib.cz/en/image/id190283/)**
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dog-brought-home-a-twi-skulls-that-i-cant-identify/697011/3 "2014-08-30T23:27:52Z")
OK, I think it is actually a gurnard species that is local to you called the [Northern Sea Robin](http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=43) - there’s a picture of a very similar specimen about halfway down the page [here](http://snapshotofnature.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/keystone-species.html).