A selection of hard to find examples.
- More options for comparative anatomy
- High quality casting from a real skulls and jaws
- A variety of dietary habits and dentition
Each of these skull or jaw models is a great addition for a comparative anatomy course, or as part of an overall collection for comparison in a general biology curriculum. Each model is cast from a mold made from a real specimen, and is finished for a true bone appearance. Now you can show you students the skulls you could only describe before. Individual species are described below.
Giant Squid: The parrot-like beak of the giant squid, strong enough to bite through steel cable, is used to cut prey into small pieces. Unlike the octopus, whose arms have simple suckers, the arms and tentacles of the giant squid are equipped with hooks and sharp sucker rings.
Great White Shark: The great white shark is the largest predatory fish in the world, with females generally being larger than males. The teeth in the upper jaw are sharp, serrated triangles, while those in the lower jaw are smaller and weakly serrated.
Whale Shark: As the largest fish in the ocean, it's ironic that the whale shark would choose the smallest organisms, plankton, as their main nutritional source. The whale shark uses about 5000 tiny teeth to filter feed; water containing plankton and small fish gets sucked into the whale shark's mouth.
Shark Ray (Mud Skate): The shark ray is an unmistakable specimen with its extremely broad and blunt head, clearly demarcated from its pectoral fins, and its long tail. Widely found in the Indo-Pacific in coastal waters, where it feeds on crustaceans and mollusks with its powerful, flat teeth.
Pacu: The tambaqui (also known as pacu) lives in the deep waters of the Amazon and Orinoco river basin of South America. Although it's in the same family as the piranha, the tambaqui does not eat meat and instead relies on seeds and fruits. 1-part skull (jaw glued to cranium).
