Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Know bones?

Out at Sandy Hook the other day, among the clamshells and bits of drift washed ashore, we found this part of a skull that I imagine belonged to a bird. It's a duck's bill, I think.

I'm not really even sure which way is up, but the bottom (pictured, I think) has an interesting texture, almost coral-like, that I imagine has happened since the bill was attached to anything living.

I checked in my
Bird Tracks and Sign book, which has a section on skulls, but didn't find anything to help me beyond the guess that it's a duck's bill.

Anyone know of a good online reference?

4 comments:

NCmountainwoman said...

Sorry, I don't know bones either. Of course I do watch it on TV occasionally.

Hope someone can give you a good reference book. I'll be interested myself.

Susan Gets Native said...

Looks like a pterodactyl.

dguzman said...

Interesting. I second Susan's guess. ; )

MevetS said...

Too small for a pterodactyl. (But it sure would be cool. And we'd have to go back to find the rest!)