Big Bird

[Rockwood]

Found in the Trinity River near the intersection of rt.157 and Green Oaks Blvd., Arlington TX.

The default identification is likely large modern bird. Perhaps a humerus ? I thought it worth posting just in case someone should be able to offer hope that it is a fossil, however.

[fossilnut]

Finding that bone must have been a wrenching experience or was it just humorous?

[val horn]

does it pass the burn test

[Lone Hunter]

You forgot measurements  Nm just saw the shiny ruler. 

Edited December 7, 2021 by Lone Hunter

[oilshale]

inch or cm?

[Rockwood]

10 minutes ago, oilshale said:

inch or cm?

I don't need 30 cm wrench in my hotel room. Those are mm s. 

[JohnJ]

Cancellous areas of this mammal long bone have eroded away...leaving the suggestion it was always hollow.  It may be a partial tibia.

[Rockwood]

1 hour ago, JohnJ said:

Cancellous areas of this mammal long bone have eroded away...leaving the suggestion it was always hollow.  It may be a partial tibia.

Given the placement of remnants of cancellous bone, wouldn't a fair amount of denser bone need to have been eroded from the outside instead ?

[Rockwood]

None of the denser bone is much over 1-1.5 mm thick. It's quite tube like.

[JohnJ]

4 hours ago, Rockwood said:

Given the placement of remnants of cancellous bone, wouldn't a fair amount of denser bone need to have been eroded from the outside instead ?

The cancellous interior has more surface area subject to weathering away and direct abrasion by sand or gravel.  It is very common to find old, hollowed out mammal long bones in creeks or rivers.

[Rockwood]

4 hours ago, JohnJ said:

The cancellous interior has more surface area subject to weathering away and direct abrasion by sand or gravel.  It is very common to find old, hollowed out mammal long bones in creeks or rivers.

Sorry. I'm not buying it.

[Carl]

5 hours ago, JohnJ said:

The cancellous interior has more surface area subject to weathering away and direct abrasion by sand or gravel.  It is very common to find old, hollowed out mammal long bones in creeks or rivers.

I have to agree here. I've seen it many times. I'm going with mammal, too.

[Plax]

plus one for mammal bone. the middle decomposes out. Bones found in the woods on the surface are often fairly hollow.

[Rockwood]

Uncle. 

You sure have weird water in the south. This wouldn't happen in Maine.

[Brandy Cole]

As others have said, I've also found several different partial mammal bones, some that could be identified to species, where all or most of the interior has weathered out.

[Auspex]

2 hours ago, Rockwood said:

Uncle. 

You sure have weird water in the south. This wouldn't happen in Maine.

Irrespective of the weathering, the presence of cancellous bone contraindicates an avian origin.

[JohnJ]

3 hours ago, Rockwood said:

Uncle. 

You sure have weird water in the south. This wouldn't happen in Maine.

 

  Your challenge, now, is to figure out which bone and which mammal.