Post Oak Vertebra

[TyrannosaurusRex]

I recently collected about 300 pounds of matrix from the Post Oak creek in Sherman Texas, and I’ve since been searching through it when I get the opportunity to. I’ve found quite a few vertebrae, all from fish, but I found one last night that has me scratching my head. It has some matrix that has solidified and will need to be removed, but I thought I could post it beforehand in case anyone had any thoughts regarding the identification!

[Lone Hunter]

300 lbs ?? Geez hope you left some for the rest of us.   How recent ? Wondering what the creek level is now. 

[fossil_lover_2277]

I’m not an expert on the Texas area, but Post Oak Creek is Cretaceous if I recall right? That bone, if a vert, is def not fish or turtle or croc as far as I can tell. At least based on the ones I’ve collected and have seen online. Maybe a worn down mosasaur?

[JohnJ]

Looks like a matrix filled fish vertebra to me.

[fossil_lover_2277]

11 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

Looks like a matrix filled fish vertebra to me.

That definitely looks accurate, my input is mistaken. I didn’t see the deep concavity on the ends so assumed it couldn’t be fish. But looking closer it does look like matrix there.

Edited November 30, 2021 by fossil_lover_2277

[caterpillar]

+1 for fish

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

Yup, fish from me too. It has the infilled concavities along the sides and lacks the procoelous configuration of mosasaur vertebrae...

[TyrannosaurusRex]

9 hours ago, Lone Hunter said:

300 lbs ?? Geez hope you left some for the rest of us.   How recent ? Wondering what the creek level is now. 

It’s much higher than I had seen it in the past, and the water was running clearer. There was also much less debris in the creek than I’d seen previously.

edit: I got that much matrix because it was a long haul for me out there, and as a full time student I can’t go fossil hunting so I make do with matrix!  

 

 

 

Thank you all for the ID! I’ve pulled quite a few fish vertebra from the creek and this one just stood out quite a lot from the rest. I really appreciate it!

Edited November 30, 2021 by TyrannosaurusRex