Mystery bone from Florida with hole in it

[Reebs]

Hello, 

 

I found this bone over the weekend in Manatee County, FL and have no clue what it’s from.  It is 6.5” long and 3” at the widest.  There is a very defined hole in it that appears to me to be part of the original bone and not from weathering factors. Is it possible that this is a piece of skull segment that held a tusk or horn? Thanks for looking. 
 

-Marie

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

Not saying it is, as my focus is on Mesozoic marine reptiles, but "something tooth related" was also the first thing to come to my mind. Curious fossil...

[Reebs]

15 minutes ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said:

Not saying it is, as my focus is on Mesozoic marine reptiles, but "something tooth related" was also the first thing to come to my mind. Curious fossil...

Thank you for the reply. The fossil in question seems to be worn down and broken on the thinner end, its hard to tell if the little indentation next to the hole is another hole or not.  The large hole is pretty deep - it’s 1” deep and 1” wide at the widest part.  I was originally comparing it to a piece of alligator jaw but the orientation of the holes doesn’t seem to be correct for an entire row of teeth. But the size and shape resembles a jaw bone to me.  Curious indeed! 

[jcbshark]

I would say a piece of a vert or pelvis. It think those are two areas where nerve bundles go through the bone 

[fifbrindacier]

At the first place i thought that the first one could be a part of an articulation bone that could fit with a pelvis, but i agree it could also be a piece of vertebra. As for the second one, i have no idea.

I'd like to know if it is a fossil or a new one. Could test it with a flame applied on a hidden area ? If it smells it's not a fossil.

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

I wouldn't know about pelvic bones - though I'm not aware of any broad bundles of nerves running through any pelvic bones - but don't see the vertebra hypothesis work. Though bundles of nerves do, of course, run between the vertebral centrum and neural arch of cervical and dorsal vertebrae, I can't see:

1. the part of the bone with the hole in it be the vertebral centrum, as this is not where the nerves would run;
2. nor see the part of bone with the hole in it as the neural arch, as the other part of the bone is offset to it and therefore cannot be the vertebral centrum - i.e. a neural arch is positioned above the centrum.
3. I also don't see the part without the hole in it as spinous process as it seems to broad and the incline vis-à-vis the other part of the bone seems to shallow.

Just my thoughts on the matter...

[Scylla]

Maybe part of a whale skull?

[Mahnmut]

Hi Reebs,

To find out if this may be a neural foramen rather than a tooth socket/alveola (or something else) I would at first look if it goes all the way through. it does not look like it in your pictures. The passage may be blocked by matrix or  curving out of view though. I do not see this being part of a vertebra or pelvis(although I can be wrong easily on this)

In most mammal and reptile pelves I have seen the nerves (like the sciatica) run through much broader openings together with muscles and tendons, not through narrow chanels like this one. That is something that makes me think rather of skulls.

But thats only an impression.

Hopefully someone come along who recognizes what you have there.

Best Regards,

J

[Reebs]

8 minutes ago, Mahnmut said:

I would at first look if it goes all the way through. it does not look like it in your pictures. The passage may be blocked by matrix or  curving out of view though.

Thank you the the reply. The hole does not go all the way through, it stops at 1” deep and there appears to be no matrix in the bottom of the hole. It is clean in there and the bone actually looks pretty smooth on the inside of the hole.  It gets progressively wider towards the opening of the hole, like a cone shape.  With a flashlight I can see the inside, perhaps I can post a better photo when I get home.
 

Thanks again. I too, hope that someone will be able to recognize this