59
votes
Accepted
Help identifying leaf-like bone
Those are isolated turtle bones:
Specifically, they are part of the carapace, or upper shell. The projections would articulate with the backbone. The "toothlike" structure at the other end projects ...
- 12.2k
18
votes
Accepted
What is this bone from?
Given the size and thin/elongated ilia as well as the urban location, I think a domestic cat and/or a raccoon are likely candidates. I'm leaning toward cat.
Cat pelvis:
VCA Hospitals
Ventral view ...
- 29.7k
10
votes
Accepted
Identification of a strange skull
Looks like this is a neurocranium of a tuna or a similar species (dorsal view on this site).
I've also found a very similar picture of Atlantic blue tuna from USA, which seems to support that this is ...
- 431
5
votes
Accepted
What's the terminology for the deformity between the halluces and index toes caused by sandals?
This is sometimes called a "sandal gap." See here.
Gap between the 1st and 2nd toes (sandal gap).
The above NIH link lists 58 known conditions with this feature+.
...
Other sources ...
- 29.7k
5
votes
Help identifying leaf-like bone
These are, as stated in @kmm's well-received answer from 2 years ago, osseous components of a turtle's carapace, or upper shell. More specifically, these bones are called pleurals and consist of the ...
- 29.7k
4
votes
Is there any way bicondylar/bigonial, bizygomatic or bitemporal breadth can change in adults?
Acromegaly (pituitary gigantism) is a disease that causes enlargement of the bones of the face. There is interest in computerizing facial measurements to catch subtle enlargements and prompt testing ...
- 2,964
3
votes
What is this tooth or tusk that was found with several others in a scrimshaw kit from Nantucket?
From the location of purchase, conical shape, color, and size, the tooth is that of a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). Sperm whales have 17-29 teeth in the lower jaw that range 3-8 inches (see ...
- 226
3
votes
Accepted
Explain why bones cannot undergo interstitial growth as cartilage does
While mature cartilage is solid, the extracellular matrix secreted by chondroblasts during cartilage formation is soft enough to allow for both cell division and tissue expansion. This is interstitial ...
- 146
3
votes
Accepted
To which ungulate species does this tooth remainder belong?
Its definitely not a marine mammal, just based on size and general configuration.
those convoluted ever growing teeth are pretty diagnostic of non-cetacean ungulates.
Just based on the pattern I would ...
- 14.3k
3
votes
What is this fossilized claw found in a Belgian forest?
Looks like the proximal end of a rib of a large mammal (cow, horse, deer). Without information about how large it is, it is not possible to get closer to an identification. It's not a claw and very ...
- 12.2k
2
votes
Are there any proven ways to increase the rate of bone remodeling in humans?
The main factors affecting bone remodelling are the person's age, and the load applied on the bone. It is known that in relation to fracture healing, younger children remodel much faster and more ...
- 189
2
votes
How can a joint extend or flex?
Short Answer
The words extension and flexion actually mean to increase or decrease the angle of a joint, respectively. In other words, the terms are directly related to the joints themselves. Bones ...
- 29.7k
1
vote
What is this fossilized claw found in a Belgian forest?
That's the distal end of an antler of some deer. You can tell because the texture is smooth and glossy, all wrong for a rib, and has that flange at the end which looks very different from the uncinate ...
- 412
1
vote
Accepted
Please identify this bone found on the beach
It's an atlas vertebra from a large herbivore, a goat, a young horse, a deer. Also know as the C1 vertebra it's probably a sheep from a mechoui party.
- 10.3k
1
vote
Why is cartilage replaced by bones in a vertebrate adult?
Short answer, cartilage can't provide the same support as a bone, bone is stronger and stiffer.
Sharks may be big but they have pathetically weak bites for their size and that even when they ...
- 14.3k
1
vote
Why is cartilage replaced by bones in a vertebrate adult?
Bones are complex organs, made of more than just a structural element. Cartilage is just a tissue, usually devoid of nerves and blood vessels.
Chondrichythes live in water (ἰχθύς ichthys is Greek ...
- 1,913
1
vote
Can the face bones be "compressed" or forced together? What would happen?
Bones are remodelled,it's correct but there is a limit too in this remodelling and specially when are doing it manually. Moreover it is very important to keep your jaws in proper occlusion otherwise ...
- 21
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