Antique 'Fox Head' Bought at Auction Wasn't a Fox at All. It Was a Long-Extinct Species.

A taxidermied “fox head” bought at an antique market for 50 quid has turned out not to be a fox at all. The specimen has now been officially added to the International Thylacine Specimen Database, and experts say it could yield valuable biological information if DNA can be extracted from its teeth. Dealer James Cranfield recognized the clues after seeing eight upper incisors—matching a thylacine rather than the six typical of foxes and related animals. The thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) became extinct, with the last known individual dying on 7 September 1936. A bidding war later ended at £62,600 (over US$85,000).