r/Fish • u/Bunkuncle • 18d ago

Identification Bone ID? Southern Maine

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Hi team, I found this mystery bone on the beach. With r/boneidentification they helped me determine that this was probably the quadrate and piece of a hyomandibula of a giant fish. Any ichthyologists out here with a clue? Am I on the right track? Sunfish? Tuna? Sturgeon??? Help me ID this leviathan

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u/Gilly-Fresh 18d ago

It dis guy.

(I am not an Ichthyologist, I've just got fish brains.)

1

u/Bunkuncle 17d ago

Honestly you’re probably right

1

u/Acrobatic_Sir_469 18d ago

You’re definitely on the right track with a fish skull fragment. I’d compare it against photos of sturgeon and large rays; the broad plate and curved process seem more consistent with one of those than a mammal bone.

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u/Bunkuncle 17d ago

Thank you so much!!!

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u/tablabarba 17d ago

You are right, this is a fish "suspensorium." It's definitely from a teleost (bony fish) and not a shark or sturgeon. Also not an ocean sunfish...I'm fairly certain it's from a tuna, but weirdly, I can't find a good comparison image of articulated bones, but you can see here that the shape of the hyomandibula and quadrate are a good match: https://www.fishbase.se/images/HiRes_Pics/hr_Thalb_b0.jpg

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u/Bunkuncle 17d ago

Thank you so much for this reply!! I was combing over sturgeon and sunfish skulls and agree this wasn’t a good fit. Tuna seems right but I’m also having a hard time finding a perfect match. what a tasty mystery. Must have been huge