Out for a beach ride on South Uist today and I spotted what I initially thought was a bit of tree.
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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/druidh2000/48067761777/ ]DSC_0427[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/22384952@N02/ ]Colin Cadden[/url] - [url= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dariogf.flickr2BBcode ]Flickr2BBcode[/url]
Upon closer inspection it turned out to be bone. A skull from sort of whale.
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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/druidh2000/48067717263/ ]DSC_0425[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/22384952@N02/ ]Colin Cadden[/url] - [url= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dariogf.flickr2BBcode ]Flickr2BBcode[/url]
It was pretty big.
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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/druidh2000/48067702308/ ]DSC_0429[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/22384952@N02/ ]Colin Cadden[/url] - [url= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dariogf.flickr2BBcode ]Flickr2BBcode[/url]
Can anyone identify the species? I'm thinking Humpback or Sperm.
Nessie
Cool.... Hope you carried it back to mount above your fire place 😂
Worth reporting it to Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme? Or check their map,to see if it has been reported already. http://www.strandings.org/
Since you asked, and I was, some 24 years ago, a qualified marine biologist - it looks like some kind of baleen whale, quite small, as its Scotland I would vote for Minke. (No the Scottish vernacular 😂)
I don;t think its a sperm whale, they are ‘toothed’ whales and have a top jaw that allows the lower jaw teeth to slot into it. Rest of a sperm whale’s skull is also v weird.
Could be completely wrong of course!
Could it be this one? Or too big for a bairn?
1st photo: that’s a gannet skull
2nd photo: oh...dunno...
3rd photo: Jesus! It’s the size of a bike, what the hell is that???
(Quick google suggests Minke could be correct)
Baby Robin?
oooh get to use my degree for once, but too late!
yeah - definitely a baleen whale of some description. Upper jaw and skull. Compare and contrast https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/whale-head-bone.html
probably a minke, but of course be a juvenile any other species
Definitely not a sperm whale, or any toothed whale/dolphin.
Barnacles were more my thing, but my initial thought was one of the beaked whales.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaked_whale
Copepod calenoida
That needs to be above the garage at your house...
"You're gonna need a bigger bike"
it's not a beaked whale - it doesn't have the skull shape to hold the size of melon needed for decent echolocation (which beaked whales need, being deep water species)
It looks quite old as if it has been buried under the sand for a few centuries.
Have you notified the local historical group? (The mob with the birlinn parked outside)
They may have more info on it.
Edit: This is a birlinn for those who don't know
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