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UK Vertebrae ID


DinoFossilsUK

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I'm trying to help someone ID some vertebrae they found recently.  They were found in east London, around 4 meters underground in black sticky soil.  My first thought was that they looked similar to dolphin vertebrae, and my knowledge of stuff like that isn't great, so any help would be much appreciated!

 

(Actually, I've just realised they're probably from a bison or something similar - I haven't a clue when it comes to mammal verts.  The black preservation seems odd though.)

 

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Edited by DinoFossilsUK
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  • DinoFossilsUK changed the title to UK Vertebrae ID

I have no idea what animal these vertebrae are from. Are you sure it's a fossil? The only fossiliferous site I know in east London (or Greater London at all for that matter) is Abbey Wood. But I think this kind of find is unheard of there. I'm afraid I can't really help id, but I am curious. Your best bet is probably to contact the Natural History Museum 

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Thanks for the help guys.  You might be right, I haven't seen them in person so there's a good chance they're not fossilised.  

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Well, it looks like old bones. So even if they are not fossil, we should be able to narrow down the possible  IDs.

Can your friend take more pictures? especially of the vertebral centra.

With these dark bones good lighting could help to bring out details.

Best Regards,

J

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Try to learn something about everything and everything about something

Thomas Henry Huxley

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I see what made you think of dolphins, but after all bovid sacral vertebrae looks like a good fit.

https://www.nps.gov/features/yell/slidefile/mammals/bison/Images/01672.jpg

The problem with bovid bones is, you ( or at least I) cannot easily tell if its a cow from the 1950ies or a wild bovid from the last ice age. Even somewhere in between could be of some  interest if there is an archeological context.

Best regards,

J

 

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Try to learn something about everything and everything about something

Thomas Henry Huxley

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Thank you J!  Yes I thought bison/cow looked like a close fit.  I don't know the person who contacted me but I have a feeling the bones come from a building site, and they're not being very forthcoming when it comes to the exact location they were found.  They originally contacted me wondering if they were dinosaur bones.  But they seem happy with the ID of mammal - I said it's very difficult to know if they're modern or fossilised.

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