Rules

Idk wut it is, but im pretty sure its dead

Helpful info: this was found in the Himalayan region, on a mountain called Kedarkantha in Uttarakhand, India. Can someone please help me identify it? Also, how would one go about identifying it in the first place? Especially since we have only the top half of the skull.

One of many paddlefish I've processed over the years.

Found this deer skull in the woods and I'd like to take it home, but it still has some skin and sinew attached to it.

What would be the best way to clean this up? Was thinking about leaving it in the woods for now until it's stripped bare by the local wildlife, but worried that it might get badly damaged. I know there's foxes and pine martins in the area, I don't know if they'd damage it.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Ok, it might be a bit of a troll post considering what's been going on lately lol But I've been working on bones/skulls/general preservation and articulation for over 30 years now, professionally for the last 27 years, with museums/collectors and in my own business. I did want to chime in and lay some honest truths down. If you're asking random people to send you their stuff to 'preserve it properly', you're not a professional anything except a mooch and a beggar. It's a bad look. A real professional, if they're honestly concerned about someone's valuable piece, would offer information to help and not just pretend that only they know how to do something and people who don't do that are being irresponsible or neglectful. Also, the weird levels of control on their identity is shady af. If anyone truly wants to know how to preserve a skull, please reach out either publicly or privately, and my answers would be the same either way. I WANT people to know how to fix things and be proud of their collections. I also will never ask anyone to send me their expensive collectibles unless we are negotiating a proper sale. I'm not sure, but i believe having the ability to be honest and back up your claims goes a long way to make you a legit professional. Professional opinion: a skull does NOT need a protective coating, as evidenced by the thousands of skulls found generations and longer, in great condition. If it's going to be displayed under very strong lights, handled frequently, or have extreme historical significance, it is a good idea to have a light protective layer. If it's on a shelf in a home and not of any historical or medical significance, let it be natural and it will outlast you and eventually go the way of every other thing and crumble into dust in a few hundred years. But even without a protective coating, it will absolutely outlast your corpse-in-training therefore negating any worry you have about keeping it in good condition. Bones are sturdy af in general.