What type of vertebrae are these, found at a land site in Sarasota

[Finding Florida]

Founded at a land site in Sarasota. I think it's alligator, what kind of vertebrae are these

Edited July 9, 2021 by Finding Florida

[caterpillar]

A big croc vertebra

[hemipristis]

1 hour ago, caterpillar said:

A big croc vertebra

Concur.  The ball-and-socket are the giveaway

[Shellseeker]

8 hours ago, Finding Florida said:

Founded at a land site in Sarasota. I think it's alligator, what kind of vertebrae are these

Welcome to the Fossil Forum, a great place for hunters.

The "ball" referenced is in blue and fits into the socket in the next vertebra in the backbone.  I am not sure that you can differentiate Crocodile from Alligator from a single vertebra. Alligator is common in the Florida fossil record and Crocodile is not.

The most common vert you will find land hunting in Sarasota is Cetacean (whale or dolphin),  far more common there than Alligator.

 

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

Others have already provided the answer, but, indeed, this is a crocodilian vertebra. As stated, the give-away is the ball-and-socket joint, more properly known as the vertebra "being procoelous".

 

Note that when tracking about ball-and-socket joint vertebrae, the "ball" part may be located either towards the front or towards the back of the vertebra, which isn't the same thing but, rather, is indicative of different types of animals. The configuration where the concave side is located to the front (anteriorly) and convex to the back is the procoelous I just mentioned. Configured the other way around is known as opisthocoelous. In addition, there are several further ways in which vertebrae can be classified (see diagram below; source).

 

 

Depending on depositional context (marine or terrestrial) and geological era, the vertebral configuration is often indicative of the group of animal it came from, with reptiles commonly having procoelous vertebrae (see also the below overview, originally posted here).