Bones

[Shellseeker]

I have been sampling areas that I thought might have low enough water depths.  It is also my exercise.  I kayak against the current, go swimming along the way, pack a picnic lunch, enjoy the wildlife and scenery. 

Out side of small broken teeth,  unrecognizable bone fragments ,  I found 3 fossils.  A very nice Tiger shark tooth.

 

Is this a scapula ? It is in fantastic shape, so might be modern. Can someone ID the mammal?

 

And another bone. I do not think I have seen the like before... leaning toward turtle, gator, marine  ..  it seems to be mostly unbroken, with a number of facets...

 

 

[Shellseeker]

Given this TFF thread,

I hope that @Troodon may recognize a Miocene reptile bone as my 3rd find.

Hard to find a decent photo of an Equus Scapula... I am pretty sure it is horse,  but uncertain about the length of this section compared to Equus. 

@garyc may have some insights

 

[Troodon]

Sorry out of my wheelhouse.  All I can say is possible skull element.

[garyc]

@Shellseeker I’m not sure if I have any real insights to offer, but here there’s a little bit larger section of the scapula that I think is from Equus. Mine is right at 11 inches long and just a partial like yours

[Shellseeker]

28 minutes ago, garyc said:

I’m not sure if I have any real insights to offer, but here there’s a little bit larger section of the scapula that I think is from Equus. Mine is right at 11 inches long and just a partial like yours

 

Gary,

Perfect answer from a man with insights.. !!! and a example of an Equus Scapula!!! I am pretty sure that I have found a horse scapula...  Look at these 2 fossils side by side. The 1st is from Equus Caballus... see that foramen grove (#4)  ...  and then again on my fossil.....

 

 

 

Yours is broken and 11 inches,  mine is broken at 6 inches and not nearly as robust... I am considering pre_Equus horse, but I am just not sure it is small enough.. I find more pre_Equus horse teeth at this site than Equus

[Shellseeker]

5 hours ago, Troodon said:

Sorry out of my wheelhouse.  All I can say is possible skull element.

Not a problem,  I just thought that there was a significant similarity in size and shape between this one and the Champsosaurus Ilium you had posted...

[Shellseeker]

Update on Bone #2.

Once I find a bone that seems to have enough features to identify,  I keep on trying/searching. Got a response from Richard Hulbert.

Quote

I think this is a process broken off a large sloth or glyptodont vertebra (includes one of the zygopophyses). Definitely not any bone from a horse :>)  Richard

For those , like myself, where zygopophyses is a new word.

Quote

Zygopophyses

A process upon the neural arch of a vertebra corresponding to that called oblique or articular in human anatomy, provided with a facet for articulation with the same process of a preceding or succeeding vertebra, thus serving to interlock the series of vertebral arches.

So,it is a process of a vertebra,  and it has a facet for articulation. It is that facet that I focused on,,whether the examples are uncommon or just so eroded and worn that such facets are not visible in the fossil I find,  I had not previously noted such facets.

 

I have search for examples found 1 Glyptodont , plus one P. leptostomas vert and one M. jeffersonii vert.

I think there is a lot of similarity to support Richard's suggestion.