Sperm whale tooth

Mammoth tusk (N.E. Siberia)6 Mastadon6 Sperm whale tooth Whale bone (rib)... 

Figure 17 Scrimshaw modern faked specimen of sperm whale tooth spill vase/quill pen holder. 

Figure 18 FT-Raman stackplot spectra of scrimshaw specimens (a) hollow sperm whale tooth, (b) solid sperm whale tooth, (c) whalebone staybusk, and (d) spill vase/quill pen holder. Minor spectroscopic differences confirm the whalebone origin of the staybusk. The modern resin composition of the spill vase/quill pen holder is also unambiguously identified from the aromatic ring stretching bands at 3060 cm and 1600 cm". (Reproduced with permission from HGM Edwards, DW Farwell, T Seddon, JKF Tait. Scrimshaw Real or Fake An FT-Raman Diagnostic Study. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, 26 623-628. 1995. John Wiley and Sons Ltd.)...

Spectroscopy has played a role in the characterization of genuine scrimshaw. Figure 6 shows a stack-plot of Raman spectra of carved solid and hollow sperm whale-tooth scrimshaw specimens, a staybusk,... 

Tooth and tusk ivory can be carved into an almost infinite variety of shapes and objects. A small example of carved ivory objects are small (50) statuary, netsukes, jewelry, flatware handles, furniture inlays, and piano keys. Additionally, wart hog tusks, and teeth from sperm whales, killer whales, and hippos can also be scrimshawed or superficially carved, thus retaining their original shapes as morphologically recognizable objects. 

PCB contamination has been observed in the toothed whales iOdontocett) that consume fish, seabird, and other marine mammals. Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus, which feed on deepwater squid, have intermediate loads, whereas the predatory dolphins, which feed closer to the surface, carry higher loads. The highest loads have been observed in killer whales (Orcinus orca ), whose diets consists of salmon and seal. In contrast, the baleen whales (Mysttcett) carry much lower loads as their diet is composed of zooplankton. Even whales living in the middle of the ocean fer from land have detectable levels of PCBs and DDT. 

Top hippopotamus tooth center boars tusk bottom sperm whale teeth. 

The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is the largest of all toothed whales and the largest extant carnivore. It lives in deep waters in most of the world s oceans, though it is only the mature males that visit Arctic waters. It is recognised by its huge, square head. 

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