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Bison metatarsal?


Lone Hunter

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I didn't have much luck trying to ID a group of bones so thought I would try just one and maybe I can figure the rest out.  It's from a creek that's all QAL not far from Trinity river. Passed the burn test, it's worn so makes it even harder for me, leaning toward bison. Would appreciate a definite ID!

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That looks like a cow.  Here is the bison metatarsals that I found in Dallas County. 

 

 

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What I was going by was the width and expansion at distal end. Hope I said that right.  Wouldn't a cow bone burn and smell?

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This is Bison. The swelling of the distal condyles, the poorly developed dorsal groove along the shaft, and the curve of the anterior articular surface are all characteristic of Bison over Bos.

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I agree with @Thomas.Dodson (and your initial thought) that it is bison as already explained.

14 hours ago, Lone Hunter said:

  Wouldn't a cow bone burn and smell?

More likely, but not always. While the burn test is often invoked here, you have to remember it is not absolute. A cow bone laying out in the desert for a couple hundred years is not really a fossil but also is probably not going to smell significantly if you burn it. That is just all about the collagen remaining and that can be altered by a lot of factors.

 

14 hours ago, Lone Hunter said:

Think I said that wrong, distal would be which side, not which end. 

Nope, you had it right. Distal and proximal refer to the ends of a bone such as this and its relationship to the body (distal, far away, proximal, closer). 

 

You pretty much much had it all right from the beginning!  Good job and nice bone! :thumbsu:

Edited by ClearLake
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Thanks to everyone for the feedback! Glad my homework paid off, it's so nice to get something right.:egypt:

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