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Mtwombly

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Found this in a creek off of peace river, way way out. It’s not fossilized but it is old for sure. It appears to be a femur of some sort, but I can’t figure out what it belongs to? It is 9 inches long.

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Not a femur - no ball on it.

Looks like a tibia, maybe deer.

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The groove and pit at the bottom of the back of the bone indicates it's metatarsal of a deer. These characteristics, as well as the gracile shape of the bone, are very typical for deer. What species, however, I wouldn't be able to tell you.

'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

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I am going with bird ulna.  Large bird.  I do not have my Avian Osteology book here, but if anyone has one next their computer, I challenge you to look it up.  

Peace river... there are lots of options for large wading birds down there.  

Edited by jpc
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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

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1 hour ago, caterpillar said:

Aah! I'm not sure. I think tibiotarse

 

I am more confident than caterpillar -- it's a wading bird tibiotarsus.

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http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page

 

What seest thou else

In the dark backward and abysm of time?

---Shakespeare, The Tempest

 

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Very instructive thread, as it seems I was way off with what I thought was a sure thing. Feel a bit like a fool now. But, well, you learn something everyday, I suppose :P

'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

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

Very instructive thread, as it seems I was way off with what I thought was a sure thing. Feel a bit like a fool now. But, well, you learn something everyday, I suppose :P

 

No matter how evidence-based these identifications are, there is always an element of guesswork involved.  That element is inevitable because we are working from two dimensional images.  It also implies that, sooner or later, we will get it wrong.  Feeling awkward about a missed guess is natural, but it shouldn't be crippling.  The dudes abide!

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http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page

 

What seest thou else

In the dark backward and abysm of time?

---Shakespeare, The Tempest

 

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Oh thankf you guys so much!! The tibiotarsus definitely looks like what it is. It was driving me crazy! 

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4 hours ago, jpc said:

Large bird.  I do not have my Avian Osteology book here, but if anyone has one next their computer, I challenge you to look it up.  

I take that challenge!  Pulled out my copy of Avian Osteology and based on size and numerous characteristics, it looks like a reasonable match for a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) tibiotarsus. That, of course, would not be an unexpected bird for that area. 

Edited by ClearLake
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