Weird

Evidence Of Fossilized Vertebrae Found On Mars?

You know, I just can’t help perusing conspiracy forums now and then. It’s where all the cool people hang out. And by cool, I mean…well…let’s just get right to today’s peculiar find.

The following images are presented to you courtesy everyone’s favorite Mars rover, Curiosity, straight from the Gale Crater. At first blush, nothing seems amiss. You’ve got the “red” sands of Mars, a bunch of rocks. Here, look:

Mars Rover Photo
Image: NASA

But oh, what’s that over there? To the left!

Vertebrae On Mars?
Image: NASA
Mars Vertebrae
Image: NASA

What almost looks like a fossilized backbone. The spine of some ancient Martian creature? For comparison, here’s an image of a standard vertabral column that you can find right here on Earth:

EarthVertabrae
Image: Dallas Krentzel/Flickr via CC by 2.0

Life On Mars?

Now, I can’t say what exactly we’re looking at in these images. The standing claim is that these formations on Mars are the vertebrae of large, extinct creatures that once inhabited the Red Planet, washed into the crater when it still contained water.

Perhaps they’re remnants of an ancient cataclysm (or slow, gradual death) that occurred on Mars, leaving it as the dusty, dry planet we all know today. Martian dinosaurs, if you will.

Though, I suppose we can’t assume that extraterrestrial life would even have spines — but there you have the panspermia hypothesis jumping up and down for attention.

Hmm. Even if these are just rocks, they do look curiously like bones, don’t you think? I’m not saying they are fossils, but…

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Rob Schwarz

Writer, blogger, and part-time peddler of mysterious tales. Editor-in-chief of Stranger Dimensions.