Hi all, yes Leif is on the right track - it is a xiphiplastron (one of a
pair) of a marine turtle eg green turtle, these bones are towards the
rear of the animal, I can send pictures - or now you know you can google
some!
Sheila
SH-D ArchaeoZoology
http://www.shd-archzoo.co.uk
On 06/03/2017 01:12, Richard Wright wrote:
> A friend showed me this bone. He picked it up in the intertidal zone
> on a sandy beach on the northern coast of NSW.
>
> I told him I thought it was part of the naturally abraded rib of a
> Cetacean. Please correct me if I am wrong. I have never handled
> Cetacean bones.
>
> https://app.box.com/shared/static/qs6n1h2urz9j09bikz0bisbsidjyhymk.jpg
>
> What puzzles me is the taphonomic process that led to the visually odd
> form of the bone.
>
> In particular, why is the left end forked, with ridges and grooves?
>
> My assumption is that the rib of a Cetacean has longitudinal lines of
> differing amounts of bone apatite and collagen, leading to
> differential depth of abrasion.
>
> Is there any literature on this? I would like to know, because some
> day or other a similar specimen will be handed in as an artefact.
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