Monster mountain lion cougar puma skull taxidermy REPLICA cast SCI rank #2

Description

Please see description for many more photos of this item and details.
This is a monster size reproduction tom cougar skull cast in durable urethane plastic. Length is 9 5/16", width is 6 3/4 ", for a total record book score of 16 2/8". The skull was never entered into any official record book, but if it had been, it would rank number 2 out of 10 for the all time largest skulls from North America.  If you include South American big game records, this would be considered the #3 worldwide, as cougars there tend to be slightly larger over all.   The only information on the original skull is that it was taken in Idaho; no idea on how much the cat weighed.  Most cougars rarely top 200lbs, but on the extreme end a few have been known to weigh up to 270lbs, which is close to the weight of an average female African lion.  Given the size of the skull, this "mountain lionzilla" could have topped the scales quite close to the all time heaviest lion recorded.
Most average cougar skulls only score about 13 1/2" or 14" at the most, and reproductions of those skulls are the ones you will often see for sale here on Ebay and from other retailers.  I have a photo above showing this cast next to one such large male cougar skull that scores 14 7/8" (not for sale; shown for example only) and you can see that it looks small by comparison.   Many of these repros are very inexpensive, and a few of them even appear to be quite nicely made. However, if you are in the market for a reproduction cougar skull, why not buy the cast of a truly impressive specimen?  As said, you will find many cougar skull reproductions, but you won't find one of this size!  See also my reproduction leopard skull, which cast from a nice big male, and would make an excellent comparison to this cougar cast.
I gladly welcome questions; feel free to ask before you buy.