Charmouth bone?

[RLJ14]

Hi all, thank you for letting me join and post our find. My kids found this fossil(?) on Charmouth beach in the UK a few years ago. We didn't think it was anything until a family friend pointed out that it looked like a vertebrae or pelvis bone of some kind. I have no idea honestly so my apologies if that is a ridiculous thing to say. We are hoping it is a dinosaur bone, but any kind of fossil would be amazing, especially for my son who is 10 and LOVES dinosaurs and fossils. We hope you can help and I hope the pictures are okay. Please let me know if you need different photos and thank you all so much for your help and contributions to people.

[Top Trilo]

Welcome to the forum from Colorado, I'm not sure I see any bone texture. Some other people with more knowledge with fossil bones will chime in soon and give you a better answer.

[grandpa]

Hello and a warm welcome to TFF from Austin, Tx.

 

Like @Top Trilo I do not see a bone here.  Rather I believe you have a suggestively shaped piece of Charmouth chert.  Don't quit looking though.  Feed that 10 year old's interest in ancient life.  Who knows what dividends the effort will pay in the future? 

 

Again, "Welcome".

 

[Fossildude19]

I agree with flint/chert nodule. 

[RLJ14]

Thank you so much for your replies. Can I ask what could have caused the hole in it, and what type of rock it could be?

[JohnJ]

Chert / flint is a quartz based rock that formed in the local limestone.  Nodules of flint can have many exotic forms, including holes, bone shapes, eggs, small animals, etc.

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

Welcome to the forum from Strasbourg, France!

 

I agree with the above in that this is, unfortunately, not a fossil, but rather a suggestive-looking piece of flint. Flint-nodules are quite common at Charmouth (and, in fact, any coastal fossiling site I've visited) and can take very suggestive forms, as @JohnJ pointed out. This maybe due to them forming around fossils that may be surrounded or even enclosed by the flint. When the fossil and limestone that contain the flint weather away, this may leave odd shapes and - in some cases - impressions of the fossils that were once there. 

 

Don't give up the hunt, though! Fossils are a great hobby and enticing way to explore past life!