This Friday I’ve decided to give you a challenge in the form of one of my favourite interesting animal bits. This mystery object is one that a few people in the know will identify immediately, because it is so distinctive, but anyone who hasn’t seen one before is likely to struggle a bit.
Do you have any idea what type of bone this is and which species it came from? (N.B. it’s the same bone photographed from different sides.)
For those few that are in the know perhaps you could drop hints rather than blurting out the answer and for the rest of you, please feel free to ask for clues – I will do my best to offer guidance throughout the day.
Good luck!
Zygoma 
Is it a kind of bone that only some animals have ?
It’s not the same on both sides so does it have two of them ?
All tetrapods have this bone, but because of the shape it doesn’t sit flat, so in the photos the shape doesn’t look the same.
I meant usually skeletons are like mirror images down the middle. Does it have two of this bone, one on each side ?
The only one I have that isn’t is from a duck throat, but I don’t think it is that.
Sorry, I misunderstood. There are indeed two of these bones in a skeleton!
What a weird creature! I first thought it was some kind of vertebra until I looked more closely. The bottom end looks like a CORRECT BONE, sort of, with that articular condyle. And look at those huge flaring crests. If so, it’s from a small but very robust animal perhaps adapted for digging – I’d guess a CORRECT GENUS AND SPECIES.
You’re on fire today!
Hmmm. Thanks for that – it explains the burning smell.
Laughable.
🙂
To push things a bit further, if your scale bar went to X10^23 it might be more clear.
Very nice indeed!
It has such complex shapes it looks almost like it has air flowing through it to produce sound so a voicebox? A primate one?
The only thing flowing through this is lots of muscle!
Oh good grief. Now I look at it on the computer, rather than on the phone, I realise those four black things on the right are not incursions, they are the number written on! D’uh
Okay, I know what bone it is but not what animal.
I actually had one of this kind of bone from a different animal drying in my house after being washed !
That doesn’t surprise me one bit!
I know what animal it is now ! Are the hooks are the side where the muscles go ?
It’s a CORRECT from a CORRECT. One of my favorite two bones in nature.
They are incredible aren’t they? For me they are the epitome of functional variation.
I can do no better than the “laughable” comment. Sorry.
Would a Wind in the Willows gag be appropriate?
Yes indeed!
First school play I was ever in. My audition line was “Oh bother. Oh blow. Hang spring cleaning!”
I was 7 and still remember that.
It’s funny what we remember, although the sentiment of the line is a very worthy one!
It’s the humerus of a CORRECT, maybe CORRECT GENUS & SPECIES.
…and me!
Excellent work!
Well, I’m sure it would have taken me a lot longer without the clues posted above, but, yes, its the CORRECT BONE of a CORRECT. (CORRECT GENUS & SPECIES, presumuably).
😉
Dang! I didn’t look at this until now (11:07 pm). I know this one. In our Osteology class our professor used it as a bonus question. The catch? He put it in a bag and we had to identify and side it! It’s a CORRECT BONE from a CORRECT ANIMAL. I haven’t seen any other species besides Scalopus aquaticus, so that has to be my guess, lol. I am quite sure based on the previous comments that I am not the first to quess that.
Different species, but that’s fine – you’ve got the right type of critter!
A “right” CORRECT BONE, lol.
Pingback: Friday mystery object #83 answer « Zygoma
Pingback: Holy moley… is that supposed to be humer(o)us? | Scientopia Guests' Blog