What’s That? (84)

21 responses to “What’s That? (84)”

1. 

   !MimosaMicheMichelle!

   Apr 19, 2009 at 5:37 pm

   This is a whole and we see to the other side.

   Might it be in Hawaii and this would be lava rock? It is light but it could be.

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2. 

   cannpix

   Apr 19, 2009 at 5:39 pm

   Looks like cellulose material covered in lichen: a home to some type of critter near the beach?

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3. 

   !MimosaMicheMichelle!

   Apr 19, 2009 at 5:42 pm

   Since you are posting photos of Half Moon Bay, I will have to find what kind of rock that is.

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4. 

   born1945

   Apr 19, 2009 at 6:01 pm

   Looks like a rock that acted as a beach anchor. Put a big rope through this hole and down under into the groove and tie a groovie sailor’s knot in it to hold a large boat or ship onto the beach.

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5. 

   stigt

   Apr 19, 2009 at 7:47 pm

   Dinosaur/whale bone?

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6. 

   jurvetson

   Apr 19, 2009 at 8:23 pm

   oooh…. a new entrant….. which one?

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7. 

   avlxyz

   Apr 19, 2009 at 10:59 pm

   it does look a bit like a vertebra with lichen growing on it.
   possibly about 1m in diameter?

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8. 

   stigt

   Apr 19, 2009 at 11:57 pm

   My 1st thought was that it might be a vertebra from one of these guys: http://www.stigphoto.com/photogallery/photo.php?photo=46. I thought it might be from the skeleton that’s in Santa Cruz, but on 2nd look that one looks bleached clean: http://www.santacruz.com/seymour-center/

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9. 

   TomiTapio

   Apr 20, 2009 at 12:50 am

   It’s a piece of 4000-year-old granite armor as worn by the titans.

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10. 

    Robbie1

    Apr 20, 2009 at 2:29 am

    well, I was going to say;" part of the bow of an old ship that has been underwater a long time".

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11. 

    Robbie1

    Apr 20, 2009 at 2:33 am

    but whale bone seems a better bet.

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12. 

    stigt

    Apr 20, 2009 at 2:56 am

    As Robbie1 mentioned, it does look like it might be underwater.

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13. 

    kirainet

    Apr 20, 2009 at 3:47 am

    it doesn’t look like a whale vertebra to me… maybe a petrified anchor?

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14. 

    !MimosaMicheMichelle!

    Apr 20, 2009 at 4:29 am

    When I first saw this, I noticed the mirror effect in the hole and thought it looked like water. Now that it has been suggested that it might be under water, I see this image differently. You might have taken this under water. This might be hardened sediment covering an object. I am even more intrigued.

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15. 

    Shamagu

    Apr 20, 2009 at 4:43 am

    Whale skull? Somewhat fossilized and now growing lichen. Unsure of which aspect or species.

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16. 

    jurvetson

    Apr 20, 2009 at 4:46 am

    Bingo stigt and Shamagu, new winners. It is indeed a blue whale bone, and coupled to the vertebrae, but on the top. This is the bottom of the skull of the largest animal on Earth. The hole is where the spinal cord connects to the brain..

    It has been weathered a bit, having been originally caught in a fishing net in Davenport 20 years ago (south of HMB, its final resting place).

    For some reason, it reminds me of a pelvis

    

    Here’s a side angle of the skull…

    

    Ashwin: thanks… I find Word to be indispensable composing tool for photo caption backlog. =)

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17. 

    kirainet

    Apr 20, 2009 at 5:19 am

    cool, that is huge.

    I was looking for images.google.com/images?q=vertebra whale&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi but did not find anything as big as the one in your picture because yours is from a blue whale!

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18. 

    Shamagu

    Apr 20, 2009 at 5:23 am

    Thanks, I remember when the whale washed up on the beach down near the HMB Ritz-Carlton a couple of years back. By the time I got a chance to photograph it, the carcass was mostly decayed and much of the skeleton exposed. Surprisingly large head bones on the juvenile humpback. Sad to see it, but strangely compelling. I have to dig those pics out of the archive. Maybe post a few too.

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19. 

    jurvetson

    Apr 20, 2009 at 3:57 pm

    Please do. It was right below Strawberry Ranch, but I did not get a chance to see it…

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20. 

    _rebekka

    Apr 20, 2009 at 4:21 pm

    i figured this was a whale bone right off, and was smugly going to say so and then see its already been mentioned and even tagged, sheesh…

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21. 

    TomOwen

    Apr 20, 2009 at 5:22 pm

    I knew it!.. just too late..again… Thanks for the series… /tmo

    Reply