Skull Found

There is something new to see in the woods every day, and this time around it was an animal skull.

I found it on an island in the Mississippi, right at the farthest point of a loop trail I walk frequently.  

I was surprised to see it there and did all of the usual wondering - what is it?  How did it get here?  Where's the rest of it?

After examining the object, and noting it's teeth, I thought it must be an herbivore of some kind, but the long "snout" made me wonder a little.  (I'm just not used to identifying animals by their skulls.  I've never seen that many in my life!)

Here's a top view:

And here it is, in situ, as they say, with my sandal next to it for a frame of reference of its size.  Note the rather large eye sockets:

What would your guess be?

This little mystery was solved when I showed the photos to Hyperion.  "Fawn skull," he said, with little hesitation.  Does this many know everything?!!!

We've seen deer prints on the island before, and I know they can swim the LeClaire channel or the river on the other side, to get to the island.  But what caused the death of this fawn, and how did the skull get carried to this point?  I have seen the remains of rabbit kills near this same place a couple of times before, and have assumed that a large owl was responsible for that debris.  I may never know all the details of this story.