Spiny Pufferfish palate

The images show a beautifully polished bone sent to the Australian Museum for identification in 1998 by V. Eime.

The bone is the palate of a Spiny Pufferfish. The fused beak-like teeth that characterise the Spiny Pufferfishes (Family Diodontidae) have been worn away.

The bone was found on the coast of Groote Eylandt, Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory.

References:

1. Gregory, W.K. 1959. Fish Skulls. A Study of the Evolution of Natural Mechanisms. Erik Lundberg. Laurel, Florida. Pp. 481.