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small cretaceous long bone unknown


val horn

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When looking on a muddy day in the maryland late cretaceous marine site.  Found a small 2 inches 5-6 cm long bone.  all help will be appreciated. 

I am not sure what bone it is, let alone what species.  Like most bone from this site the surface texture is in general rough.

 

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Nice find. Perhaps it belongs to a Mosasaur...

 

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... @jnoun11, @JarrodB, @JohnJ

"I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?"  ~Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) 

 

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Better focused, well lit photos would help.  

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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I'd call this a mosasaur phalange, though not with total certainty. That notch near the end or that groove down its length might be diagnostic.

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It does look like mosasaur.  Thank you. I don’t think you can be too rich too thin or have too many mosasaur fossils and this is my first paddle bone

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Based on your photos, I think calling this a mosasaur anything is a little bit presumptuous. It could be another reptile bone or a muddy mammal bone.

 

Have you cleaned it with a soft toothbrush and water?  Can you post better focused, well lit images?

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The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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Got out my camera instead of my phone but I am not sure that these will be better.  It is not muddy or dirty.  

For this site this is a remarkably clean fossil,  much of what is found is fully covered in a white mineral crust.

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It seems like there are grooves along the length of the bone in a couple of places.  I'm not aware of any mosasaur paddle elements with that characteristic.

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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Ok. What is the next thought.  I don’t believe that it is croc or turtle because I would expect more curvature in the long axis of the bone.

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:(

 

Unfortunately, the photos don't display the details of bone texture and features.  Seeing those will assist an ID beyond a hypothesis.  

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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Well as I have suggested to others when between a rock and a hard place it may require my taking it to somebody to look at it in person.  I appreciate all the help 

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4 minutes ago, val horn said:

Well as I have suggested to others when between a rock and a hard place it may require my taking it to somebody to look at it in person.  I appreciate all the help 

Wise words. ;)

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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  • 3 weeks later...

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