What's in a Fish Bone?

8 Nov 2019 - Today, we continued on with our work to triple-check the collection against the catalog! This box contains faunal remains, which we are all excited to see. To my knowledge, it’s the first experience with actual preserved remains for all of us in the lab, and it’s my first experience with different fish bones! I’ve never seen so many of them together before, and the vertebrae are unbelievably cool.

Of course, it would be amazing if we could determine the species of this fish and compare it to the ones that are found here today, if at all possible. Perhaps this fish came from somewhere else? If we were able to identify the type of fish, or narrow down the possible suspects, some quick research should tell us if the fish is a local or not. If the fish is a local variety, is it found in all the surrounding waterways or just a few? Is it a more seasonal fish or one that stays in this area all year?

As you might imagine, I could do this for awhile. My point is that something as seemingly benign and ordinary as a few fish bones can spark a series of investigations that uncover all types of new data that helps us piece together mysteries of the past and understand how humans lived. It could also uncover important information to safeguard the future of a fish species from the effects of climate change.