Search the Community

Hey gang, still going thru old fragments and found this piece that I'm wondering about. Hope there is enough to confirm crocodilan due to the small elongated pits/foramen and maybe rule out any sea turtle jaw/dentary/skull possibilities. Shell pile find. Probably Plio-Pleistocene based on the types of shells found with it. Its approximately 8cm long X 1.7mm wide. It has a small channel/groove along its length that tapers to down to almost 1mm. Also shows a large foramen? that connects to this channel/groove/foramen? thru the flatter side of the bone. Its got many distinctive elongated small pits/foramina? that are only 1-2mm long and none that appear to be larger. I was hoping it was a sea turtle dentary/jaw fragment as that's what I'm looking for in the box of scraps but I cant find any matching comparative photo. I'm not smart enough to say really one way or the other and defer to you all. Is there anything visible that screams crocodilian or what part it may actually be from? Just doesnt seem very robust and seems very thin to me but I've not seen alot of reptile material... Aside from teeth/osteoderms is there anyway to distinguish gator from croc bones that show this kind of pitting? Ok here's a general picture 1st and then I flipped the specimen around in some in better outside lighting. Then some closeups of the pitting. Lastly, a view of the canal like structure that runs the entire length of the piece and seems to be possibly connected to a larger opening/foramen? on the flat side? Hoping this is an easy one for you bone folks. thanks for your thoughts! Regards, Chris

Anyone familiar enough with the Crocodylomorphs from the Hell Creek Formation to be able to help in determining a probable genus or species? I purchased this specimen and have been unable to find images or research papers with similar examples.

I recently spent a week on the Isle of Wight, mostly to find fossils. To be honest, the fossils were pretty much a washout for me in many respects. My inexperience, combined with very mild weather and calm seas, meant that I didn't find the dinosaur bone I'd been hoping for. I made much better finds in the local book and charity shops! I did recover some huge pieces of lignite, which seemed to litter every beach I found. This even included some huge logs. I have successfully preserved lignite from other locations, but this stuff is quite pyritic. However, I'm happy to say that I was quite fortunate when hunting in the Oligocene beds of Hamstead. This beach is not easy to access - it's difficult to find a means down to the beach, and when you find it, you have to jump down a bank, walk over loads of broken glass, climb over fallen trees and crawl beneath others, and walk in worryingly sticky mud. However, it is worth it! I didn't find a huge amount, but I was fortunate enough to come across these two associated scutes from the alligator Diplocynodon (identified by the very helpful people at Dinosaur Isle). I also found about a dozen pieces of emys turtle shell, these are three of the best. This piece of bone was identified by a chap at Dinosaur Isle as most likely a piece of mammal skull. I didn't get an ID on this - any suggestions would be welcome. It's 1.5cm tall. This is also unidentified, and I'm not certain whether it's a fossil or not. It's 2.5cm long.