A skull found in a national park may belong to a child and appears to have been deliberately placed.

Police are investigating after a bushwalker made the gruesome discovery about 10 metres off a track in Springbrook National Park on the Gold Coast on Friday morning.

Police said the skull was small and may belong to a child or a person of light build. A crime scene has been declared.

“Initial suggestions are that the skull has been placed there,” Chief Superintendent Craig Hanlon said on Monday, adding that further examinations, including DNA and carbon dating, could take months.

Forensic pathologists and the Queensland Police Service’s bone expert are examining the skull.

There’s no evidence of a recent death or foul play in the area.

“The skull looks like it has been in the conditions for a long time … it wasn’t submerged or buried; it was lying on the ground,” Hanlon said.

Springbrook National Park is a popular tourist destination known for its lush rainforest and scenic hiking trails.

Police are probing how the skull came to be in the park, with investigators exploring possibilities ranging from it being a misplaced museum artefact to a prank.

“There’s a lot of questions we need answers for, and that’s why our investigation is ongoing,” Hanlon said.

No other bones or evidence of criminal activity have been found in the area following a thorough search involving about 100 State Emergency Service volunteers.

-AAP