And what animal is it? Found on the Belgian coast. We extracted the vertebra from the dead, indefinable animal. Pen to clarify the size.
Answer
Dear Kate,
This is a lumbar vertebra of a young cetacean, based on the size perhaps of a porpoise (dolphin-like), so a mammal.
The vertebra is immature, the rough surface of the vertebral body indicates that there was still a growth plate here. The actual front & back of the vertebra still consisted of a disc-shaped bone plate that rests on the resp. growth plates; this leg plate is missing here. That is why we can say that it is still a young animal.
Answered by
Prof. dr. Dr Pieter Cornillie
Veterinary Morphology: Embryology incl. Teratology Anatomy Histology
http://www.ugent.be
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