This is a vertebra of a pilot whale. The vertebrae are the knobbly bones that make up the backbone.
Sometimes large bones like these are found on beaches. They can be washed up by the tide, or remain after beached pilot whales die and the flesh rots away.
There are two species of pilot whales found in Australian waters. They are the Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas) and the Short-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus). The Long-finned Pilot Whale grows to between 5.5 m and 6.5 m long and is generally found in cool to cold waters; the Short-finned Pilot Whale is smaller, growing up to 5.9 m and is usually more common in warmer waters. Pilot whales are grey to black with a white anchor-shaped mark on their underside of their bodies. They have a bulging forehead and a low dorsal (top) fin. They are toothed whales, meaning that they have fully-developed teeth, and are not filter feeders like baleen whales. Their main source of food is squid.
Like their close relatives, the dolphins, pilot whales are highly intelligent and easily trained. They also have very strong social bonds. This desire to keep the group together may be why they are often involved in mass strandings on beaches.
search & discover has a small collection of bones from whales, dolphins and seals, as well as many other Australian animals. You can also see them in the Skeletons exhibition.
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