Goofy ‘fox’ bought for £50 at market was actually natural history ‘holy grail’

Auctioneer Andrew Stowe with the taxidermy head (Picture: William Dax / SWNS) A taxidermy ‘fox head’ that was bought for £50 at a market because it looked a bit goofy has been sold for £60,000 at auction after its true nature was revealed. Natural history enthusiast James Crawford spotted the item for sale in Bristol and, with his curiosity piqued, did a bit of extra research. He discovered the head did not belong to a fox – but to a thylacine, also known as a Tasmanian tiger, a type of marsupial that became extinct 100 years ago. The last known of the species died at Hobart Zoo, Tasmania, in 1936 and only a few hundred specimens still exist, most of which are skins made into rugs. James said: ‘This was undocumented and undiscovered, and is the only known head in the world. Sign up for all