The super macro guessing game (5)

Hoof or horn?

Snake skin?

Maybe from the tail of a rattle snake.

Not epidermis, hoof or horn, or snake skin.
Yes it does look chrome plated, but it isn't.

Did it come from a mammal?

The debate over alive or not leads to the question, is this a fossil?

OhLook wrote in post #18324788
Did it come from a mammal?

No not a mammal.

Nogo wrote in post #18324795
The debate over alive or not leads to the question, is this a fossil?

Not a fossil.
As anticipated, "debatable" took thoughts in appropriate directions.

shell?

ECC233 wrote in post #18324952
shell?

Not a shell.

So are we looking at something like the tooth of a snail?

ECC233 wrote in post #18324976
So are we looking at something like the tooth of a snail?

A something's something, but not a snail's tooth.

Is this a body part about which "alive or not" is debatable even on the living animal?

It looks like a centipede. Is it a centipede or related to it?

Or a millipede.

OhLook wrote in post #18325082
Is this a body part about which "alive or not" is debatable even on the living animal?

I doubt 100 people would all agree a yes/no - depends on your definition of alive.

It wouldn't look any different if the animal died!
It's part of an animal.