Jame Stuart Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 Yesterday I found this piece of vertebra near the Calvert Formation at Calvert Cliffs Maryland. It seems to be a "cookie" but is taller than online pictures show and haas a strange belly button shape with a pattern in the middle. It is roughly 3-4 inches wide and 1 inch tall. Does anyone recognize this fossil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thecosmilia Trichitoma Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 Looks like a epiphysis that’s just been a bit worn to me. It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt -Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 A Beauty, I have a much smaller one, and treasure it... Let's see if @Boesse has a comment on the "belly button" 1 The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 That's called the notochordal pit! The developmental reason for this during growth is unknown to me, but it's a common feature in aquatic tetrapods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 1 hour ago, Boesse said: That's called the notochordal pit! The developmental reason for this during growth is unknown to me, but it's a common feature in aquatic tetrapods. I know them from pliosaurs. Didn't know cetaceans have them too... Now I do! Thanks! 1 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 1 hour ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said: I know them from pliosaurs. Didn't know cetaceans have them too... Now I do! Thanks! Hold it??? "aquatic tetrapod" does not equal cetacean!!! or does it? What " aquatic tetrapods " have existed at Calvert Cliffs? The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Trilo Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 6 minutes ago, Shellseeker said: Hold it??? "aquatic tetrapod" does not equal cetacean!!! or does it? What " aquatic tetrapods " have existed at Calvert Cliffs? I believe he was saying he knew that pliosaurs had notochordal pits but did not know cetaceans had them too 1 “If fossils are not "boggling" your mind then you are simply not doing it right” -Ken (digit) "No fossil is garbage, it´s just not completely preserved” -Franz (FranzBernhard) "With hammer in hand, the open horizon of time, and dear friends by my side, what can we not accomplish together?" -Kane (Kane) "We are in a way conquering time, reuniting members of a long lost family" -Quincy (Opabinia Blues) "I loved reading the trip reports, I loved the sharing, I loved the educational aspect, I loved the humor. It felt like home. It still does" -Mike (Pagurus) “The best deal I ever got was getting accepted as a member on The Fossil Forum. Not only got an invaluable pool of knowledge, but gained a loving family as well.” -Doren (caldigger) "it really is nice, to visit the oasis that is TFF" -Tim (fossildude19) "Life's Good! -Adam (Tidgy's Dad) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 34 minutes ago, Top Trilo said: I believe he was saying he knew that pliosaurs had notochordal pits but did not know cetaceans had them too Agree, makes sense, but the question remains: Is this Epiphysis from a Cetacean ? As Jame notes , the fossil seems different from the common Cetacean Epiphysis that are displayed on the internet. Every complete one and fragment that I have found is flat and does not have a notochordal pit . Plus it is not only humans, cetaceans, and tetrapods that had Epiphysis bones. Here is one very different from the Peace River. http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/71043-peaceriver-cookie/ Here is another whale Epiphysis of mine: Flat, about the same size == 4 inches, but seems very different from the one from Jame. One of the values of being a TFF community is that many different members find the same/similar fossil. Does anyone have an Epiphysis that looks like the one that Jame found? The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 Just adding a slightly enhanced photo of this very unique fossil: The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 8 hours ago, Top Trilo said: I believe he was saying he knew that pliosaurs had notochordal pits but did not know cetaceans had them too Indeed, that's what I had wanted to express. Sorry for the confusion! I'm really a marine reptile guy myself, so it was an interesting bit of information to me finding out that the notochordal pit is not a feature restricted to plesiosaurs. 7 hours ago, Shellseeker said: Plus it is not only humans, cetaceans, and tetrapods that had Epiphysis bones. If you're talking about epiphyseal bones in a general sense - i.e., not restricted to particular bones, such as vertebrae, or species where the epiphyses don't fuse until very old age - than, yes, I believe all tetrapods have them, as they are part of the process of bone fusion that happens as part of ontogenetic development. 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 Sorry, it's certainly from a cetacean. These pits just happen to be common in aquatic tetrapods (not sure about their prevalence in land mammals). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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