He said there were mountains of old crates and boxes in there which had accumulated over the years. This latter fact for a time had me thinking this must be the skull of some anthropoid species other than human, inasmuch as this amount of nuchal ridge development had not been observed by me. The nuchal ridge, or its equivalent in certain higher primates, serves as an anchor for neck and jaw muscles. A developed nuchal ridge in the occipital zone would form as a response to powerful neck muscles, and to a lesser degree from very powerful jaw muscles. Bleibtreu and Prost, two highly experienced physical anthropologists, stated they had never before seen the type of nuchal ridge development observed in the Minaret Skull.
Further statements indicate the specimen was damaged on the surface and edges.
Professor Rasmusen said that one would be hard pressed to make an educated guess concerning the race of an individual with nothing more than a calvarium as a guide. When Berry contacted Dr. After further telephone conversations with Alan Berry, Dr. Bleibtreu became interested and wanted another chance to examine the calvarium, but could offer no further assistance in finding it. After examining all of the available data myself, seeing the facilities where the calvarium disappeared, and speaking with different members of the museum staff, it seems most likely that the Minaret Skull is still in the annex building in Chatsworth, California.