( CNN ) -- A federal scuba-diving team conducting a training dive in a Miami canal last week made a grisly discovery -- a human skull , authorities said Tuesday . The team was conducting routine training January 5 in the Palmetto Bay area when a diver discovered the skull in about 15 to 20 feet of water , said Nicole Navas , a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement . An initial assessment by the Miami-Dade Police Department determined the skull probably belonged to a black male , 25 to 45 years old , Navas said . The time and cause of death could not immediately be determined . The Miami-Dade medical examiner 's office took custody of the skull for investigation . A spokesman for the medical examiner said that in addition to looking for evidence of homicide , suicide , accidental death or natural death , his examiners also will consult with a local expert on Afro-Caribbean religions . `` Periodically , human skulls found in our jurisdiction are traced to Santeria or Palo Mayombe source , '' said spokesman Larry Cameron . Published accounts say adherents of those religions have disinterred remains for religious rituals , and Cameron said customs officials at airport ports of entry sometimes discover skulls being brought in for that purpose . `` In many of these cases identification is never made , and thus the skulls find a permanent home in our anthropology room , '' he said . But , he said , `` at this point we have not proceeded real far with our investigation , '' and no possibility has been eliminated . The discovery was disclosed Tuesday in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement news release summarizing the activities of the ICE Miami Tactical Dive Team , which assists in providing security on Florida waterways , aids in drug interdiction efforts and helps conduct underwater searches .
The skull was found during a training exercise in a Miami canal . The medical community is looking into possible causes of death . Some skulls are disinterred for use in ceremonial and Palo Mayombe rituals , they say .