Common Guillemot / Common Murre skull (Uria aalge) The whole slice measures 24cm

The whole slice measures 24cm x 12cm at the widest points

The spotted look of palmwood is caused by fossilized rod-like structures within the original wood

The razorbill is a colonial species that only comes ashore to breed

The “strap” from which the ornament is hung around the neck has broken over the years and has been repaired using more recent string

This cranium must have been part of a complete skull as it still has the pins on which

Common Guillemot / Common Murre skull (Uria aalge) The whole slice measures 24cmThis is a skull of the common guillemot, also known as the common murre Uria aalge. This species is a large member of the Auk family with circumpolar distribution of the sub species in the Northern waters. They breed in huge colonies with a density of up to 20 pairs on one square metre of rock. They are expert divers with diving depths of 180m being recorded in search of food. This specimen was from a dead bird washed up on the shore. It is a very