14.13 - Mars Rovers

The image, taken by Curiosity, appears to show the vertebrae of a large animal or sea creature, such as
a walrus or arctic whale. For comparison, below is an image of a whale skeleton.
Figure 17 – Whale Skeleton
Looking at the central section of the whales vertebrae in the diagram above, we see a similarity with
the mars rover image. Walruses are known to drag themselves on land and huddle up in a group to
sunbathe. The early walrus ivory hunters would shoot whole groups of Walruses in one spot, take the
tusks and heads and leave the bodies to rot, so there would be backbones without skulls left. These
places are known as Walrus graveyards, and have been discovered on Svalbard, where Mars rover
research has been carried out.
The image could be a peculiar geological feature consisting of notches, cups and holes created by
erosion and disposition. Perhaps the way the light is falling on the geology creates an image which
looks like a vertebra, but is in fact geology. The image below shows more of the surrounding area.
Does this image show peculiar looking geological features or an animal “vertebrae”?
Figure 18 – A wider view showing some of the surrounding geology
Another question which arises is if this anomaly is part of an animal’s vertebra. What could the
formation in the red square of Figure 19 represent? Is this also part of an animal skeleton, if so what
part?
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