Whale Bone

[Connah]

Found this piece a couple of years ago at Fossil Beach, Mornington & has been ID as whale bone by Erich Fitzgerald of Melbourne Museum. I'm wondering if any of you guys might be able to narrow down which part of the animal this may have come from? The piece is 130mm L 25mm W 30mm D.

  Although Fossil Beach is local to us this is the only bone we have found in many years of looking.

[izak_]

[Miocene_Mason]

Toe bone

Im no expert, but I would guess worn rib. Others may have more confident answers.

[Connah]

57 minutes ago, WhodamanHD said:

Toe bone

Im no expert, but I would guess worn rib. Others may have more confident answers.

Hey WhodamanHD, I'm not sure about rib as there is no curvature to the piece.

[ynot]

Nice chunk of bone. I am not sure there is anything diagnostic left to determine a spieces.

If there is @Boesse should know.

[Miocene_Mason]

18 minutes ago, Connah said:

Hey WhodamanHD, I'm not sure about rib as there is no curvature to the piece.

That why I said worn, I just can't think of another long bone that could be like that, other than maybe a jaw. Again others should be able to help, if at all possible. Boesse is a real expert, if there is a possibility it can be identified to the bone, he'll be able to do it.

[Connah]

1 minute ago, WhodamanHD said:

That why I said worn, I just can't think of another long bone that could be like that, other than maybe a jaw. Again others should be able to help, if at all possible. Boesse is a real expert, if there is a possibility it can be identified to the bone, he'll be able to do it.

I'd like to think jaw too, there's something about the internal surface that doesn't shout rib to me but I'm all for being put right. 

[Miocene_Mason]

1 minute ago, Connah said:

I'm all for being put right. 

Me too! It's the best way to learn. I'm gonna sit back and watch the experts

[Connah]

Just now, WhodamanHD said:

Me too! It's the best way to learn. I'm gonna sit back and watch the experts

Good plan Stan!

[Coco]

@Boesse

 

Coco

[Doctor Mud]

Yes - such a worn fragmentary piece would require someone who has spent some time with marine mammal skeletons to attempt to identify. An expert who is familiar with the bone structure and remnants of original bone surface that are present.

 

My hunch is it is part of a rostrum from a cetacean. This is based on the curvature on the preserved bone surface and bone structure.

 

Lets see what @Boesse has to say.

[Shellseeker]

In the meantime, here is a thread where Bobby identified some Baleen whale materials including some jaw sections for me a 18 months ago.

I will be watching with interest.

[Connah]

10 hours ago, Doctor Mud said:

Yes - such a worn fragmentary piece would require someone who has spent some time with marine mammal skeletons to attempt to identify. An expert who is familiar with the bone structure and remnants of original bone surface that are present.

 

My hunch is it is part of a rostrum from a cetacean. This is based on the curvature on the preserved bone surface and bone structure.

 

Lets see what @Boesse has to say.

Thank you Dr Mud. There are some interesting whale finds emerging from Victoria that predate baleen, if this is indeed a partial rostrum it may fit this era. Of course, it could also be a beaked whale or dolphin but whichever I would be placing money on a juvenile given the slender dimensions.

[Boesse]

I agree with Dr Mud on this - most likely a rostral fragment, perhaps a highly waterworn fragment of a maxilla of an odontocete.

[Connah]

2 hours ago, Boesse said:

I agree with Dr Mud on this - most likely a rostral fragment, perhaps a highly waterworn fragment of a maxilla of an odontocete.

 Thanks for getting back on this @Boesse  The piece has clearly been in the sea for quite sometime & it would be great to pinpoint this location as the origin point but given the lack of (zero), other bone finds I guess we'll never know.