Whale bone?

[eigg head]

Would anyone know if this is a whale bone, found nestled in rocks at Weston Mouth on the East Devon coast, to the east of Sidmouth. Looked like it had been there a while since it was home to a few interesting burrowing bivalves.
I've found such things in Scotland, but never on the south coast before.

[eigg head]

Forgot to say - it was around 1.4 m in length. (Trekking poles are pictured next to it).

[sharki]

I'm going to make a brave suggestion that what you have found there is a broken section of Tibia from a rather large land mammal.

Given it's length and the width of the upper most end, i'll further my mad suggestion by saying it's from one of the Mammuthus.

I'm curious to hear other suggestions, it certainly looks bone like not from a whale. IMHO

Sharki

[RKB]

With that large spur on one end, it doesn't look like a bone to me at all. Are you sure it isn't wood? Maybe heavily-mineralised wood, from a submerged forest? Ancient wood sinks, and is very heavy.

I can't think what bone would be that shape.

[Chump]

It's possible that it may have come from a large extinct land mammal. Mammoth tusks, and bones from other large mammals, have been found in the North, and I think Irish, seas from the last glacial period when those areas were land bridges due to lower sea levels. The south coast of England, and much, if not all, of the Channel would have been ice- and water-free also, and so the bone may have come from such an animal. This is perhaps a little far-fetched/optimistic, but it would be cool if it were true!

[tom00_uk]

it looks a lot like a branch thats spent some time in the water and has been visited by shipworms,

[featherandhay]

I can't see it being a bone under any circumstances at all, tho I can't seem to enlarge the photo for a closer look. It is definitely not a tibia. Best guess is a piece of wood. Sorry!
Ric M