Whale vertabrae

[mdmedicgod]

He you go...........

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/Skydogs/vertabrae.jpg

[cjsa]

Wow, how big is that?

[mdmedicgod]

Well.... I assumed it was a whale's vertabrae, but as I googled for pics of whale vertabrae... It doesn't compare.. I will post some profile views

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/Skydogs/sideview.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/Skydogs/IMG_9101copyrear.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/Skydogs/IMG_9105framed.jpg

[mdmedicgod]

at least 5 or 6 Ft across.. I couldn't physically move it

[SWPhotoImaging]

I think it looks like it might be the back of a whale skull.

Click on the picture of a whale skeleton in the linked page here:
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/gwhale/MexLagoonTour.html

And check these google images:
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=whale+skull

And this article about a Blue Whale skull:
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/03-00/03-27-00/a01lo004.htm


Nice find!

[ddelallata]

I think it looks like it might be the back of a whale skull.

Click on the picture of a whale skeleton in the linked page here:
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/gwhale/MexLagoonTour.html

And check these google images:
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=whale+skull

And this article about a Blue Whale skull:
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/03-00/03-27-00/a01lo004.htm


Nice find!

I think you are right. That hole could be the "Os Magnum" through which the spinal cord passes through and the smooth surfaces around the hole look like the occipital condyles that articulate with the cervical vertebrae.

[SWPhotoImaging]

I think you are right. That hole could be the "Os Magnum" through which the spinal cord passes through and the smooth surfaces around the hole look like the occipital condyles that articulate with the cervical vertebrae.


Yeah . . . . that's what I thought . . . . uh-huh!

(what did he say?)

[Radtech1]

OK, now we are on my turf.

That, students, is a second cervical vertebrae. It is one of only two vertebrae that have a name (all the rest are numbered). The name of this puppy is the "Axis". The protrusion that you see in the middle, (the dens) well protrusion that is the pivot (or axis) around which we rotate our head left and right - the "no" gesture. And if you think the size on this is impressive, this is only about ⅓ of the bone. The entire anterior (front) portion of the bone is missing. The curved area just below the dens is part of the passage that allows the spinal cord to pass.

The other named vertebrae is the first cervical, or "Atlas". It is a circular bone that circles around the dens on the bottom and supports the skull on the top. It got it's name from mythology - think of Atlas holding up the world.

The hole that you see in the dens is NOT the os magnum - the hole is there for the same reasons that our bones are hollow tubes, to save weight. The os magnum is located in the bottom most skull bone, the occipital, and would be MUCH larger.

Below is a human example. (Assuming the attachment works) The view as seen here would be looking at someone’s right shoulder at about a 45° angle.

[Radtech1]

PS - there will be a short quiz after class, so I hope you were all taking notes. :eek:

[BottomBracket]

I'm leaning more towards this being the base of the skull because of its sheer size. From what I remember from my palaeontology classes way back, the cervical vertebrae of cetaceans (whales) are fused together - this specimen doesn't look like it is a fused unit at all. So, it must either be a thoracic vertebra, or the base of the skull. I would think that 5 to 6 feet is too huge for the former that is why I think it is the base of the skull. That hole may be the foramen magnum, where the spinal cord passes from the lower brain towards the spine.

[SWPhotoImaging]

There is always someone here that has the answer.

What an amazing place this is.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Skull...

Awesome :)

[DwightMcCann]

This is AWESOME!

Edit: I just repeated CDS here and Steve Parr in another thread ... as long as we have so many medical experts abounding, I need to ask, "Is this a good or bad prognosis?" :-)

[ddelallata]

That hole may be the foramen magnum, where the spinal cord passes from the lower brain towards the spine.

foramen magnum= os magnum. That is the one thing I hated about anatomy in Medical School; so many things have 2-3 different names.

[CyberDyneSystems]

I was double checking Vs. memory of Marine Biology and physiology.... as Radtechs post certainly seemed confident .. but in particular was his use of the word "cervical" which reminded me that Some whales have more prominent vestigal pelvic bones than others..

I do think that this is indeed the back of a Skull,. little question in my mind,. however,.
it may interest some to know that a whales pelvis has some simialrities in appearance, especially old weathered incomplete ones.

For the Skull doubters,. rather than dig and find my old sketches and scan them.. (which I would not be able to do untill I get home from work) I found this which if much ratation in your head is done may be convincing.

A southern rights skull (mind you MD's pics are not likely to be the same species and there is a lot of variation between species to say the least !! The Most likely skeleton of that size in MD I would say is Humpback.. it's right in the route of the Atlantic migration.. but that's only most likely.)

http://www.hermanus.com/whales/pictures/skull.jpg

and from a complete skeleton of a grey,. again very different;

http://www.racerocks.com/pearson/cw/whale/skull/necklow.jpg



This is where the Atlas joins the back of the skull,. and unless the Atles is fused to the back of the skull .. as part of the skull structure itself,. then that peice is the skull..

Remember the Skull is made up of many bones..
If it is fused,. then were all right because any whale skull found would include the Atlas..

So on a whale,. eihter that first visible vertabrae is the atlas,. diminutive in comparison to the Skull,. or possibly? the delinieated section at the back of the skull is the atlas?

[rudgej]

Interesting photos Patrick. They reminded me of the time when I came across a whale vertebra used as a piece of art near Birsay on Orkney in Scotland.
http://www.johnrudge.f2s.com/images/nonsite/whalebone.jpg

[philbyuk]

if i knew as much on photography as you lot do onwhale bones i could give up my day job

[mdmedicgod]

Could it be a pilot whale? I remember there was big thing on the news last year in the spring time about a pilot whale being beached...

[SWPhotoImaging]

I believe pilot whales are quite small. That skull bone appears to be from a rather large whale. Maybe a blue or a grey?

[mdmedicgod]

This is why I said pilot whales.......... http://www.delmarvanow.com/easternshore/stories/20050514/2136070.html

[Saturday]

as a scuba diver i recover have recovered and sold many whale vertabrae. and from the size of this one you could sell and purchase a 20d or a 5d if your lucky.
where did you say this was.....