I've been collecting bacula for over half a century. Many of you have probably seen a photo of my baculum coffee table. I seriously doubt that there's another table like it in the greater Tendoy metropolitan area. Although the os penis (baculum) is well known from several mammal species, not many people realize that there is a counterpart bone, the os clitoris (baubellum), in many species. It might give you something new to look for in your skinning shed.


Pretty common bacula. Badger, raccoon, river otter.



The coffee table, with a few hundred bacula.



This is a very large specimen of a baubellum (os clitoris) from a rather small black bear.

I'm, and probably many of us, are unfamiliar with the baubellum. Is that on a female? Certainly you have an oosik or 2 from your Alaska days.

I well recall admiring that unique table up close and personal.

I double Arkansas guarantee, there is no other creation like it in the world, much less in the Idaho territory

I have absolutely no images in art to contribute to this subject ...that's ok, your art stands alone in style, creativity, and talent , as the unique artist you have always been.

Thank you for the share, Jack.

What Sharon said in a way I never could have !!!!

Great pics,and info Gulo.
Never knew animals had an os clitoris.I believe os refers to bone?Does a female otter have an os clitoris?

Many years ago a fella I knew used to make turkey calls out of raccoon ones

Well they are bones. Kanaga island Ak

What is the story of the bones on Kanaga?
This is the closest I've been to Kanaga; the island in the background.

That is pretty close to Kanaga. I would guess on Adak, around Dora Island? That was a burial cave on Kanaga south of Ranch bay 6 to 8 miles. If it were a trophy cave all there would be is skulls. When they fought amongst islands, they would haul heads back and place them in caves to worn intruders to stay off the island. The hip and leg bones had been in a sea lion hide at one time. It was about rotted away. I thought it was something the way they had the legs pulled up to the chest. The caves were pretty close to water level for ease of transport and I never saw one more than 10-20 foot deep. They built wood shelves to place their dead on, trophy caves just had skulls.

That table is not big enough to hold a walrus, unless it is one broken when jumping up on sea ice.

And all along I thought they were olive holders for the evening Martini's to start the conservation going

Thanks Boco. Yes, "os" literally means bone. Indeed, female river otters (most) do have baubella.

MJM, how old do you suspect the skull and bones are? 100's of years or older?

As always, one of the best weekly threads to read/look at. Thanks Gulo!

The Russians started going out to the Aleutians planting blue phase Artic fox in the mid 1700's, it seems like the island of Attu was planted in 1950.. There was wood in the burial cave that came off wood sail ships, I would guess by it's shape. It was defiantly man made and I would guess off a ship or boat. The Aleuts, which the skulls would be from, did not make wood boats. The only wood on the islands is drift wood. The Aleuts made Baidarka or Aleut kayak. So I would guess some of the bones were were placed there after the mid 1700's. Here is a picture of wood off a boat or ship in the cave on Kanaga. There is more than one piece in the picture that I felt came off a boat in it. ship