Fossil from the beach?

[fosssilfan]

Hello!  I am new to the forum, and this is my first time posting.

 

Today I was at Moolack Beach on the Oregon Coast (part of the Astoria formation, I think), and I found something I hadn’t seen before.  I found it in the surf.  Attached are multiple photographs.  Please forgive the zoom/occasional blurriness.  The fossil seems to be about 10cm (~4in) long, and 5.5cm (~2in) wide at the wider end.  
 

Thank you for checking it out!

 

 

[GeschWhat]

Welcome to the forum! Could you please post higher resolution photos of the sides? The photos are too small and I can't tell if I am looking at mineral or fossil. 

[fosssilfan]

Hi GeschWhat, thank you for taking the time to look at my post!  
I’ll post a few side photographs.

[fosssilfan]

Here is another side photo:

 

[GeschWhat]

Okay, I'm seeing bone structure. It looks like a concretion that formed around bone and was weathered. Cool! 

 

[GeschWhat]

[GeschWhat]

Just curious, can you post a higher resolution photo of this area? This piece is so weird. I'm trying to visualize what (what part of a skeleton) it is from. Maybe someone else will know.

[Fossildude19]

Looks like a chunk of bone in a concretion, to me. 

[fosssilfan]

Thank you Fossildude19 for taking a look at it!  

 

GeschWhat, here are two photos in different angles of that same spot, with better lighting:

 

 

 

 

[fosssilfan]

Here’s a second top picture:

[fosssilfan]

Here’s a slight angle variation from the first one:

[GeschWhat]

Hmm, must have just been the angle and lighting. I was trying to see what the circular object was, but it looks like there isn't one. Thanks for indulging me. 

[Oregon1955]

fosssilfan,

welcome to the forum. definitely fossilized bone in a worn concretion typical of the Astoria formation. it's so worn identifying it is challenging. if I had it in hand and had some time to contemplate it I might grok it. the cell structure appears to be mammalian as opposed to the large fish species found in the Astoria. one of the more common vertebrate fossils found at moolack are cetacean vertebrae. my best guess is it's a highly worn whale vertebrae sans the body with only bits of processes remaining. the thin cross section of bone, the size, and hints of thicker associated or connected bone kind of narrows it down to, vertebrae with their transverse processes and neural spines, skulls, and maybe scapula. the size indicates it's too big for dolphins and pinnipeds. that leaves rare desmostylians, even rarer terrestrial mammals, or cetaceans. really a wag on my part and i could be completely wrong. I'm not a paleontologist but I've done field work along that stretch of beach with some very accomplished ones. hope that helps.

[Boesse]

Another possibility is that this is a sliver of baleen whale rostrum, not an infrequent discovery in the Astoria Fm.

[Oregon1955]

good catch. a definite possibility. i have even seen highly worn examples of fossilized baleen from the formation. a lot of mysticete material along that stretch of beach.