Mystery thing

[Steve O'Shea]

Can anyone help ot with identification of the following; the images were sent to me by a reporter for Science & Vie Magazine, Paris, with the questionable identification of 'mystery squid beaks'. They're certainly not from any cephalopod with which I'm familiar, and look more like toenails of some large animal, or perhaps something from a weird fish.

Suggestions welcomed!

 

[Steve O'Shea]

part 2

... the structure was found by a reader of the magazine, on the shore near the mouth of the Tech river, in french Catalunya (Pyrénées Atlantique), on the Mediterranean coast. It was first brought to my attention in December of last year, but these pics have just been sent through. I'm not too sure when 'the structure' was found (if some zoo lost something bizarre around that time [press reports] it might help track the thing down).

 

[tonmo]

The thing 5 image seems to be sporting a hook of sorts, no?

 

[Steve O'Shea]

It does, kind-of like a claw. I've drawn a complete blank. I know we've got a few online who like playing with reptiles that might have a better idea .... it really has stumped me.

 

[WhiteKiboko]

sfter the first three id say it looked like a shark tooth, but i cant help you after looking at 4-5...

 

[myopsida]

Carol

I'd consider looking at parrot fish (Scarus) dentition or pufferfish (
Sphaeroides)

vertebrates rule!

 

[WhiteKiboko]

i thought puffers teeth were more flattened.... i can remember my dad just telling me to watch the mouth when we were fishing for spot....

of course that was a long time ago...

 

[Fujisawas Sake]

Steve,

It looks keratinous, almost like... Well, like the tomium (beak) of a turtle. Noting the size, it would have to be a sea turtle. It also looks somewhat vascularized. Without actually getting my hands on it, I would have to say a sea turtle.

You say the Mediterranean? Hmm... Green turtles Chelonia mydas nest in the Azores, and make their way into the Mediterranean a lot. The Kemp's and Olive Ridleys, Lepidochelys kempii and L. oliveacea, could also be the culprit but I doubt it. It could also be a Loggerhead, Caretta caretta. Its just that this beak-thing looks too much like a turtle tomium to me.

Any other news on it that may be of interest?

John

 

[Colin]

I am really sure we should be looking at parrakeets, lorikeets or conures the shape and size looks perfect for it... nothing as big as a macaw but a sort of mid sized parrot.. any vets near you that can treat parrots? They would yay or nay it almost instantly

 

[Steve O'Shea]

Well, we've got Pisces, Aves and ?Turtese .....

Quite bizarre; I don't feel so bad about drawing a complete blank now.


Anyone have pics of turtles bitsywits, puffer fishes whosywotsits and parrots bitsyfizzbits to compare with this?

 

[WhiteKiboko]

Well, we've got Pisces, Aves and ?Turtese .....

Turtese? Testudo maybe?

 

[mcatee123]

from the porus structure it leads me to believe it is a baleen tooth but the shapes wrong new animal ? maybe

 

[Clem]

It looks keratinous, almost like... Well, like the tomium (beak) of a turtle. Noting the size, it would have to be a sea turtle. It also looks somewhat vascularized. Without actually getting my hands on it, I would have to say a sea turtle.

You say the Mediterranean? Hmm... Green turtles Chelonia mydas nest in the Azores, and make their way into the Mediterranean a lot.

Hello All,

The link below has a photo of a Green turtle skull (a replica) with its beak attached. The mystery thingy looks a bit more narrow and pointed...do young Green turkles have more aggressive beak profiles than mature tutles?

http://www.azdrybones.com/testudines.htm

Clem

 

[Fujisawas Sake]

The mystery thingy looks a bit more narrow and pointed...do young Green turkles have more aggressive beak profiles than mature tutles?

Clem,

Yes they do. Along with some other features that are designed to make them less palatable to larger animals. As far as the bird theory goes, my wife took a look at the beak thing and said that she didn't think it was a beak due to the fact that bird beaks are the result of a fusion of three bones, and this thing doesn't show signs of that process.

Could also be a tortoise as well, but just looks a bit big.

John

 

[Fujisawas Sake]

Well, we've got Pisces, Aves and ?Turtese .....

Turtese? Testudo maybe?

Are you talking about the Linnaen system?
Turtles count as Class Reptilia, Order Chelonia.

Oh, and I think that its not puffer fish due to the size and general shape of puffer jaws.

Oh, wait... hello.... What about the Hawksbill Eretomchelys imbricata? The beak fits the profile, though I'm not sure if you find them in that region....

Any news Steve? I would check with a local herp expert if I were you.

John