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Photo of the Day #825: Blue whale
The skeleton of a blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), photographed at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. (Notice the foramina, or small holes, in the upper jaw. In life these housed blood vessels that nourished the whale's baleen plates. They are also useful anatomical clues in determining which fossil whales had baleen.)
What is that beak-like structure up front? Is it just me or does that vaguely resemble a tuning fork? Interesting picture and a good example of how bone structure provides information that is not immediately apparent to the untrained eye.
very nice foto. i should fotos on blog too, because it looks more beautiful.
Art, that beak like structure you mention are the premaxillae; they extend slightly further than the maxillae in most cetaceans (and mammals).
"Art, that beak like structure you mention are the premaxillae; they extend slightly further than the maxillae in most cetaceans (and mammals)"
Looks to be a different material. Is it bone similar to the rest of the skeleton?
Art-- Yes, it's bone. I don't recall it as contrasting in color with other bones in other Blue Whale skeletons I have seen: I suspect the appearance here is either discoloration or a trick of the lighting.
Excellent photo! I think this may have been constructed of a number of different skeletons? That may account for the different color contrasts? I think I prefer to look at ones that still have their skin on, lol.