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Antique 'fox head' turns out to be 'holy grail' of extinct species
New York Post • • world
Key Points:
- A UK antique collector, James Cranfield, discovered that a taxidermied "fox head" he found was actually a rare bust of the extinct Tasmanian Tiger, or thylacine, a carnivorous marsupial last seen in 1936.
- The artifact was originally bought by an anonymous seller for around $67 at a county fair and later sold at auction for $85,000 plus fees after Cranfield recognized its true significance.
- Cranfield confirmed the authenticity of the specimen through X-rays and CT scans, revealing a pristine skull, making it an exceptionally rare find, especially in the UK.
- The Tasmanian Tiger was driven to extinction due to hunting, disease, and habitat loss, and there are only about 815 thylacine specimens worldwide, with just one other known head specimen whose location is unknown.
- Cranfield intends to keep the mount for educational purposes and hopes to collaborate with scientists and institutions to further study and understand the species.
