These may look and feel like dinosaur bones, but they are in fact petrified banana logs. They are among the original specimens that inspired the creation of The Dehydrated Food Museum.

The donor had peeled and cut the banana preparing to eat it as a snack at work. The banana rolled off of her desk and onto the floor where it remained undetected for a few weeks. When she finally discovered the petrifying specimen, she was aghast that it was there on the floor—in a translucent state—and that the cleaning staff had not removed it. She waited to see how long it would take the cleaning staff to pick it up. It’s unclear whether the cleaning person was disgusted by it, or never noticed it. The banana remained, untouched, on the floor. Finally, the donor inspected the specimen and was amazed that the specimen had dried and hardened into such lightweight, wonderful logs.

Compare the light wood-like quality of this banana specimen with the dark, leathery, unpeeled banana arc also in the collection.  NEXT >

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