For another pic of that same whale, plus some friends, see http://svpow.wordpress.com/2008/06/26/sv-pow-showdown-sauropods-vs-whales-vs-elephants-vs-pterosaurs-vs-mike-and-me/ at the most excellent Sauropod Vertebra Picture of the Week or SV-POW!
Click on the pic for a ginormous image.
wamba · 17 September 2008
Clearly Sandefur meant to call Sarah Palin a whale. He should be ashamed of himself.
This marvelous blue whale skeleton is at the Seymour Center of the University of California, Santa Cruz. Note the person next to the skeleton (my girlfriend Erin) for scale.
ofro said: Who designed this beast without hind legs?
And if you dug it up as a fossil, how would you know that it had big tail flippers? Or how would you know that it didn't have (for instance) an elephant-like trunk?
JohnW · 17 September 2008
Paul Burnett said:
ofro said: Who designed this beast without hind legs?
And if you dug it up as a fossil, how would you know that it had big tail flippers? Or how would you know that it didn't have (for instance) an elephant-like trunk?
Well, you would see a big powerfully built tail, with lots of attachments for strong muscles, so I think you'd be able to infer a set of flippers. At the other end, you'd see a set of nasal gear at the top of the skull, with no muscle attachments for an elephant-like trunk, implying lack of same.
I like the idea of a whale with a snorkel, though...
Richard Simons · 17 September 2008
Paul Burnett said:
ofro said: Who designed this beast without hind legs?
And if you dug it up as a fossil, how would you know that it had big tail flippers? Or how would you know that it didn't have (for instance) an elephant-like trunk?
Even from the photo you can see that the tail is sturdy and ends abruptly, suggesting something massive was attached. I am not an anatomist, but I imagine the joints between the tail vertebrae would permit up and down movement but not much from side to side. There may be other possibilities, but the only one I can think of that would result in this type of structure (presuming it is not flexible enough to behave like a giant springtail) would be large tail flukes.
s1mplex · 17 September 2008
I see at least 7,631 differences between that skeleton and a grizzly bear.
:|
Science Nut · 18 September 2008
Even if you put lipstick on it...it's still a whale!
...and I'll bet even that whale knows that our founding fathers were long dead before the Pledge of Allegiance was written.
14 Comments
Wheels · 17 September 2008
Did you know that's also the name for a "blazingly fast" toy boat?
FastEddie · 17 September 2008
That is one BFW.
Mike from Ottawa · 17 September 2008
For another pic of that same whale, plus some friends, see http://svpow.wordpress.com/2008/06/26/sv-pow-showdown-sauropods-vs-whales-vs-elephants-vs-pterosaurs-vs-mike-and-me/ at the most excellent Sauropod Vertebra Picture of the Week or SV-POW!
Click on the pic for a ginormous image.
wamba · 17 September 2008
Clearly Sandefur meant to call Sarah Palin a whale. He should be ashamed of himself.
Timothy Sandefur · 17 September 2008
This marvelous blue whale skeleton is at the Seymour Center of the University of California, Santa Cruz. Note the person next to the skeleton (my girlfriend Erin) for scale.
ofro · 17 September 2008
Who designed this beast without hind legs?
Paul Burnett · 17 September 2008
JohnW · 17 September 2008
Richard Simons · 17 September 2008
s1mplex · 17 September 2008
I see at least 7,631 differences between that skeleton and a grizzly bear.
:|
Science Nut · 18 September 2008
Even if you put lipstick on it...it's still a whale!
...and I'll bet even that whale knows that our founding fathers were long dead before the Pledge of Allegiance was written.
(Sorry...my attitude is showing.)
Stacy S. · 18 September 2008
DiscoveredJoys · 18 September 2008
It looks a little dehydrated to me.
Michael Buratovich · 18 September 2008
My comment has no scientific worth whatsoever.
What an amazingly beautiful skeleton!!!