Osteological remains are among the most durable of all specimen types.  Sixty four percent of thylacine specimens are skeletal, with skulls predictably forming the bulk of this material.  There are 322 skulls recorded in the 5th revision of the ITSD, 310 of which are complete with mandibles.

    In 1888, Thomas Oldfield provided the earliest published range for both male and female thylacine skulls.  The skull of the thylacine differs far more in its cranial and dental characters than do the sexes of any other marsupial.  The male thylacine has a proportionally larger skull with a longer face than that of the female.  The female skull by comparison is smaller, with a shorter muzzle, less

expanded zygomata, and possesses smaller, but proportionally larger teeth.  There are a number of important structural differences between the skull of a thylacine and that of its placental counterparts, and these are discussed in depth in the Anatomy subsection.     The rarest of all thylacine osteology specimens are the skulls of pouch young, of which there are three known examples [UMZC A6 7.10, USNM 115365, and BMNH 1887.5.18.9].  The youngest is that held in the collection of the Zoological Museum of Cambridge University.

. Complete thylacine skulls & crania [region by number] Source: International Thylacine Specimen Database (2013) .  REGION TOTAL %  Tasmania 38 11.80  Mainland Australia / NZ 88 27.33  North America 28 8.70 Asia 2 0.62  Europe 73 22.67  UK and Eire 93 28.88 .  Total 322 .

    The university purchased the skull at the sale of the natural history collection of the British anatomist and naturalist Joshua Brookes in 1828.  It was listed as Lot 13 on the twentieth day of the sale as the "Cranium of a young Dog-headed Dasyurus".

. Skull UMZC A6 7.10.  Courtesy: Cambridge Zoological Museum.  Source: International Thylacine Specimen Database (2013).

. British anatomist and naturalist Joshua Brookes, painted by Thomas Phillips (1815).  Courtesy: National Portrait Gallery (London).

    Of the adult skulls, the most important from a historical perspective, are the two skulls [RMNH 39000 & RMNH 39001] described by Temminck (1824) in the Natural History Museum (Naturalis) in Leiden.  Temminck is credited with separating the thylacine into its own genus: "Thylacinus". Temmick's detailed description of the skulls can be seen in the "Scientific Discovery and Taxonomy" section.

. Skull RMNH 39000.  Courtesy: Naturalis [Leiden].  Photos: N. Ayliffe.  Source: International Thylacine Specimen Database (2013).

. Skull RMNH 39001.  Courtesy: Naturalis [Leiden].  Photos: N. Ayliffe.  Source: International Thylacine Specimen Database (2013).

    A small number of thylacine skulls can be deemed "demonstration" skulls.  These skulls have been specially prepared for teaching purposes to display anatomical principles or to reveal internal features.  Some of these skulls have been longitudinally bisected, others have had their tooth roots exposed or the roof of the cranium removed.