This week I’ve got a mystery object inspired by an enquiry that came around the Natural Science Collections Jiscmail list yesterday. Any idea what this object might be?
As usual I will do my best to respond to your suggestions, comments and questions throughout the day. Good luck!
Zygoma 
A v**t***a from a *h**e ?
Nice one, Jake!!!!
Excellent work! But I still want to know which v**t***a from which species of *h**e, so there’s plenty of game left to play!
There’s not a big sticky up top part so it’s not shoulders, and it doesn’t have stick out parts so I don’t think it’s lower back so I think neck. The two circles in the top picture are like the atlas here: http://www.prehistoricstore.com/item.php?item=1354
On Wikipedia it says “whales are the hippopotamus’s closest living relatives” – that is mad.
A blue whale lumbar vertebrae is four feet across including sticky out bits. This one is about 25cm so not blue whale. Humpback whale ?
I think Jake beat us all to the punch*, nice one!
*although I must admit I wouldn’t have guessed what this v**t***a belonged to!
Atlas?
Fused c v’s! My juvenile P.p’s. are only 9cms across so multiplying up for size would make this beastie 3 metres+ so maybe a G.g or a M.m.
no much bigger!!
I think that fused c v’s are significant and shape of neural canal.
O……o…
Grey Whale?
Or Gray Whale even
Having looked at pictures of the bone I think this is from different species of the type of animal I think this is, it seems like the shape of the foramen is significant.
I’m sure I’m wrong, but I’m going to guess the a***s of a B. m********s.
I think these have all their cervical vertebrae fused