#skull

#skull

Ocucaje Predator: Ancient "Monster" Whale was a Sea Serpent-Like MammalThe Ocucaje Desert in Peru was once a shallow sea home to primitive sea mammals. Which is why the discovery of a deadly marine mammal skull there makes sense. The relic belonged to a basilosaurus, which roughly translated to “king lizard”.It was uncovered in 2021 roughly 350 kilometers (215 miles) south of Lima. Excavators were impressed by how well preserved the specimen had been.The ocean giant has been nicknamed the “Ocucaje Predator,” a suitably fearsome name for a 17-meter (55-foot) long hunter with gigantic jaws. These teeth led paleontologists to place basilosaurus at the top of the food chain, making it more than qualified to take down fish, sharks, and other archaic whales.The 36-million-year-old basilosaurus leaves behind a complete skull, representing an exciting opportunity for scientists to learn more about these prehistoric predators.The specimen is now on display at the Museum of Natural History in Lima.Image: Andrew Janson#basilosaurus #paleontology #Ocucaje #skull #fossil #OcucajePredator

The Secret of the Skull with EarsThere is a small church in Naples, Italy, that has a basement displaying dozens of skulls. The Church of Santa Luciella ai Librai was built somewhere around 1327, and is not all that unusual for keeping human remains underneath. But one of the skulls was special, because it has ears. For centuries the eared skull in the basement was venerated, a unique example of Naples’ cult of souls of in Purgatory. People would sort of adopt the disarticulated skull of an unknown and pray for its abandoned soul. That soul, once lifted out of Purgatory into Paradise, would then return the favor by extending grace to the person who had helped them get there. The skull with ears held special attraction because its auricular appendages, believed to be ear cartilage that was naturally mummified, could “hear” the prayers and petitions for grace.Naples was devastates by an earthquake in 1980, and the damaged church closed to the public until it was restored in 2019. Researchers were then able to examine the eared skull and found out not only how it has ears, but a good amount of information about the person who once inhabited it. You can read their findings at The History Blog. -via Strange Company #mementomori #skull #relic

Rebel without a CatalogDavid C. Brock passes along this photo of what, from my experience as a librarian, is a typical scene at a professional conference. You may get shushed in the stacks, but your v-twin won't.-via Josh Hadro#library #librarian #motorcyclevest #skeleton #skull #reading #book