Half digested baby barracuda skull

Well, maybe not quite exactly, but close. It's certainly partially digested, and I'm quite sure it's a sphyraenid, though it might be difficult to get a more precise ID based on its morphology. This guy was found in the stomach of a nicely sized small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) during last week comparative anatomy practicum. It's always interesting to see students' reactions when offered to investigate stomach contents, some are totally grossed out, but quite a few get really excited about it. We found all sort of things this week, mainly crustaceans, worms and small fish. I remember when I performed this same dissection as an undergrad a few years ago and found a large squid in the stomach of my specimen, a large female. I still have the beak I extracted from the half digested meal and the eggs I removed from the uterus laying around in a jar somewhere.

Partially digested sphyraenid head. Yum.