Whale earbone (bulla)? ...just the tip

[Wynand]

[digit]

I'm not seeing any of the diagnostic features that I recognize as a cetacean tympanic bulla. @Boesse has seen more of these than most of us and could give a better educated opinion.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Carl]

Not seeing a bulla either

[ynot]

+1 for no.

[Mark Kmiecik]

Photos of the ends may be helpful.

[Plantguy]

Interesting little specimen. I agree with the others it doesnt look like the cetacean bullas I am familiar with and particularly those from our local area. Although yours does have a general worn oblong shape like we find around here it doesnt seem to have a dense inner homogeneous composition/core. Its pretty small isnt it? I am curious if you found it as is or has it been broken open? From the 2nd picture it looks like the gray area on the left is an exterior weathered surface and the brown colored area shows a fresh non weathered surface showing maybe? the inner makeup. What catches my eye are the small sand sized irregularly shaped objects/grains in that brown area...some are angular and others appear to be more rounded--looks more geologic/like a sedimentary rock feature. 

Here's a quick shot for comparison of the inner cherty sometimes shiney fresh fracture textures and worn exterior textures several of the very worn bullas I have show. Most of the voids/openings/lobes have been worn away and smoothed! When you see one thats complete it amazing to see what gets worn off. If you zoom in on a few you'll see the very fine grained dense areas that are freshly broken/chipped and they appear to differ from whats making up your find. 

Bobby if he has the chance will no doubt give you his insight/more. Kind of cool though! I would have picked it up and pondered...

 

Regards, Chris 

[Boesse]

This bears little resemblance in external anatomy to a bulla, aside from perhaps an extremely waterworn bulla that is pebble-shaped and likely not to be picked up.