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Felid metacarpal?


darrow

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I picked this up today in Galveston Bay dredge spoils, late Pleistocene Beaumont Formation.  I've tentatively identified it as Felid, 3rd right metacarpal.  I'd like to identify it to at least the subfamily, Pantherinae or Machairodontinae but I'm not that familiar Felid material and my online search hasn't been much help.  Hoping someone can point me to a source where I might find data on size and morphology of carpals and tarsals of these two the subfamilies.  

 

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    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

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Awesome find!!!!!   I got this, it is Smilodon fatalis Right Metacarpal III.  If that scale is in inches then the length is about perfect.  Image is from book "Felidae of Rancho La Brea".  I would recommend finding a copy but be warned this is a rare book - I paid over $600 for my copy 15 years ago, very limited printing.

5fe92c9839183_SmilodonPp130.jpg.7220dbe4e558eaaa3a460e9b81929728.jpg

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Yes, the scale is in inches.  Greatest length is ~95mm.    I found "Felidae of Rancho La Brea" is public domain Google-digitized with free public access...

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015024037387&view=1up&seq=11

 

 Smilodon fatalis Right Metacarpal III looks like a perfect fit for the dimensions (Table 57) and morphology of my piece.  Also confirmed the presence of the articulating surface for the unciform (Un fig.93).  Not sure if this is unique to Smilodon sp. or just absent in Felis atrox.

 

Thanks @Lorne Ledger !

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14 hours ago, darrow said:

Yes, the scale is in inches.  Greatest length is ~95mm.    I found "Felidae of Rancho La Brea" is public domain Google-digitized with free public access...

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015024037387&view=1up&seq=11

 

 Smilodon fatalis Right Metacarpal III looks like a perfect fit for the dimensions (Table 57) and morphology of my piece.  Also confirmed the presence of the articulating surface for the unciform (Un fig.93).  Not sure if this is unique to Smilodon sp. or just absent in Felis atrox.

 

Thanks @Lorne Ledger !

Darrow, Ditto on the Awesome Find,  I love big cat material.  Mine was a femur back more than 4 years ago.

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/65530-a-femur-story/

Hard to identify because one needs comparison bones. I think it is one of the smaller cats, Xenosmilus but who can be sure ?  The thread was never IDed.

 

Your thread caused me to go back and review other TFF threads on big cats.  Thanks for sharing!!! I found this picture from Harry.. Gives me an idea about femur sizes in a modern world.

cheetahfemur.jpg.5fa35f48ec68bae9911d7ced3ff1134b.jpg

I did take another photo similar to Harry's picture... My measurements are A 76, B 33.5,  and C 305. Likely to be bigger, more robust.

IMG_6632size.thumb.jpg.0289e54c4032c7fbb377bf66189130d2.jpg

Just reliving the joy of finding.  If you to pick up a big cat femur in those Galveston Bay dredge spoils ,  let me know the measurements. :fistbump:  Jack

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The White Queen  ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast"

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