The last few months have been busy in the Dead Zoo. If you’ve been following the #DeadZooDiary hastag on Twitter you will have seen that the smaller of our two suspended whales has been taken down and now we’re doing the groundwork to get the larger of them decanted.
But while all of that is going on, we also have a team of art handlers packing and wrapping another 10,000+ specimens that also need to leave the building for upcoming roof replacement works. This week’s mystery object is just one of these specimens:
Any idea what this shell is from? As ever, you can leave your observations, questions and suggestions in the comments box below – I’ll do my best to respond, but I apologise in advance if I don’t get a chance. Have fun!
Zygoma 
well besides the obvious bivalve… i’d call it a Pickelhaube clam
Creative – I like it 🙂
I can imagine it would be very painful to step on. Could that spike be the result of trauma to the shell?
No, it’s a natural feature of the species.
Could be a young wizard’s spell to make something not quite round, perhaps using a wand made from a bit of blackthorn?
Nicely done Tony, nicely done!
I’ve never had a real exploration of the US state of Georgia, but researching this mystery object brought me into contact with the legend of “Altie” (an abbreviation of Altamaha), a creature that is supposed to inhabit the Altamaha River. Now I’m not sure if this mollusc is named after the River (most likely), or the creature, but like the creature – and unfortunately, like may North American freshwater mussels – it’s rarely seen. Indeed, this mussel’s on both the Red List and the US Fish & Wildlife Service endangered list.
I think you have it James. On the endangered species list.
Some kind of freshwater mussel but I know not what its jousting spike is for. Maybe used to pry others off desirable locales?