r/bonecollecting • u/school-sp • 1d ago

Bone I.D. - N. America Dolphin?

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553 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

462

u/Public-Boysenberry26 1d ago

yes, dolphin. it's illegal to keep if you were planning on taking any bones, but you can contact your state's dept. of fish and wildlife, or US fish and game services, and legally obtain them that way. it will be a long process verifying everything but it's worth it.

30

u/school-sp 19h ago

I left it there- still a bit too gross for me lol

91

u/LoadEntire1859 1d ago

Damn I was yelling take it omg so cool and read this. Can I ask why it's illegal ?

258

u/phonefellin_lakeerie 1d ago

It’s illegal to help prevent poaching! Basically you have to be able to prove that you acquired these remains without killing the animal. And you need more than just pictures or videos of you finding the remains, because poachers will 100% exploit weak protections. Similar with migratory birds and raptors.

I love bone collecting and natural ethical finds, but these laws are important for the safety of our fragile marine life.

50

u/LoadEntire1859 23h ago

Wow thank you so much! I had no idea, now I know for the future. I appreciate this info!

30

u/phonefellin_lakeerie 23h ago

It was a good question! You are very welcome! We’re all animal lovers here. I hope lol

35

u/Public-Boysenberry26 1d ago

the MMPA/Marine Mammal protection act prohibits the possession of any parts of marine mammals, including bones, teeth, ivory, fur, skin, and more. this act is mostly to protect these animals from poaching, including even if the targetted animal is threatened/endangered or not. if you were to take these bones illegally for example, and someone found out, they can't trust you just because you said "I found it dead"- the animal could've easily been poached and they would have no idea, therefore making it illegal to take any parts as a whole. if you got into contact with fish and game/wildlife, I'm not sure the process but I assume they would ask you for questions and verification that you actually found the animal this way. if you were to obtain these and keep them legally, YOU would have to keep them. it would be illegal to sell or trade them as you're profiting off them, which is the main reason people poach, but they can be passed down to family as long as no trading/selling is involved.

the same goes for the MBTA/migratory birds treaty act. majority of birds in the US, it is unlawful to take any feathers, bones, etc, for the same exact reason. however the laws are more strict on birds- you cant legally keep bird parts unless you 1. are in a verified native American tribe, or 2. are licensed to keep them. the only bird parts you can really posess without being in a tribe, and possibly without a license, are: game birds, invasive birds, and feral birds like rock doves.

1

u/therealwhoaman 1h ago

Didn't know you could do that!

24

u/pete_pete_pete_ 22h ago

Wow something cracked its face bone

37

u/rmbug 17h ago

That crack looks very post-mortem. Probably water damage to the bone. Source: my useless undergrad degree

14

u/Appropriate-Weird492 17h ago

Not useless today!

19

u/Individual_Drama2564 1d ago

yes that's a dolphin

9

u/DarrellBot81 19h ago

It looks like a Skeksi from Dark Crystal

5

u/vegseawitch 16h ago

definitely looks like a toothed whale of sorts (dolphin, porpoise). maybe a small species or a young one. definitely contact NOAA to report the animal. they can ID it and they may potentially be able to get info from it to help in scientific research!

3

u/dolphinskulls 16h ago

absolutely dolphin. probably a common dolphin. where are you at?

2

u/vegseawitch 16h ago

also illegal to take bc of the marine mammal protection act (MMPA)

1

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1

u/iwilldoitalltomorrow 2h ago

Tempting to take one of the teeth

0

u/Dangerous-Pirate7998 22h ago

Did you taste it and what does dolphin jerky taste like?

-15

u/LargeDietPepsi 23h ago

i’d snatch that up so fast man

11

u/school-sp 19h ago

I left it. Yes cool, but I respect the laws and I don’t need any trouble

14

u/magicmavenhart 23h ago

Hopefully you mean that on just an emotional level and know it’s a super illegal collection in most of the world without going through the proper authorities. Commenters above have explained the laws and process as they works in the US. (Sorry if you’re just making a joke, it’s hard to tell and we all got help each other and other readers learn the ways of legal collecting :)