It’s hard to believe that it’s a year ago today that I started this blog – how time flies! The mystery object didn’t start until four months in and I strongly feel that it provides the backbone of the blog. So here is my forty-first mystery object – I hope you enjoy trying to work out what it is (whatever it might be, it looks pretty vicious):
As usual put your suggestions and questions below and I will do my best to answer (without giving it away). The answer will be posted on Monday.
Good luck!
Zygoma 
Is it a chainsaw from The Flintstones?
Nice idea, but (perhaps unsurprisingly) no.
In is a bone from inside a water animal’s flipper ? The bit at the right looks like the top of a femur.
It’s not a femur, but you’re the closest out of everyone so far!
I reckon it’s the lower jawbone of a fish, possibly a flat fish of the asymmetric sort
Not a jawbone
I’d say it was the saw from a sawfish but that would be more symmetrical… Hmmm…
(ponders)
Not a Pristis sp. rostrum – they are a lot more symmetrical. Keep pondering!
My initial thought was the same as Cromacrox’s (sorry Henry). But, it’s leaning to the left, so perhaps it’s Pristis labouri, which is soon to be red-listed.
After discussions with the wife, we both think the blob on the right hand side is important to its identification. After that I give up.
Ok, first question: has this piece been worked on by man, or is it naturally this way?
I think it’s man-made: an antler carved into a saw.
It’s nature’s saw – not man-made at all (although I’m sure humans were involved in removing it from the beastie in question and putting it in the museum..)
It’s naturally this way
I have not got got a clue, or a phd, but I am nearly 40!
Hmmmmm fishy jawbone but with teeth on both sides?
K 🙂
Well done on getting that it’s fishy, but it’s not a jawbone…
Is it a pez dispenser from the Jurassic era?
They loved their pez.
Pez dispensers weren’t designed until opposable thumbs evolved in the Paleogene – the Jurassic pez were eaten straight from the packet without the use of a dispenser.
Could it be part of a Aristonectes or some other aquatic dinosaur? The end seems like a ball joint used possibly used in the hind section?
It’s not part of a plesiosaur (which I feel duty-bound to point out are definitely not dinosaurs).
It’s a fish willy isn’t it.
No it is not. That’s disgusting – you ought to be ashamed of yourself young man!
Praying-mantis tibia?!?
Wait crap…praying mantis…fish tibia?! lol
Could be from a mantis shrimp…
It isn’t though.
Hmmm … I am adopting a totally mechanical approach to this – the serrations are, I imagine, where muscles are attached. Those muscles are probably very powerful and the whole thing is flipper shaped. The joint at the end is ball-shaped but the bone is solid. So the muscles aren’t used for internal movement within the flipper itself but it’s very stiff and can be turned as a whole. So I’m going with the back end of a dolphin.