North Carolina mosasaur, plesiosaur, or dinosaur vertebra fragment

[fossil_lover_2277]

Here’s a vertebra fragment I found in Cretaceous Black Creek group sediments of North Carolina. It’s not turtle, and it doesn’t look like any crocodile vertebra I’ve ever seen. That would leave mosasaur, plesiosaur, or dinosaur. Personally I think it’s mosasaur, but I could be wrong and it may not even possible to ID further. Any thoughts? 

[Troodon]

Could it be a turtle osteoderm "spur" ?

[fossil_lover_2277]

1 hour ago, Troodon said:

Could it be a turtle osteoderm "spur" ?

I can definitely see what you’re seeing there based on the pictures and why it might be part of a turtle osteoderm based on them. I am certain it’s a vertebra though in this case, looking at it in person, the centrum is definitely there, and that bump is a broken process.
 

I actually just managed to find a person who recently prepped a mosasaurine mosasaur vert., he said he’s certain it’s a mosasaurine distal caudal centrum fragment, and the broken process is part of a chevron.

[Plax]

I'd say probably a piece of mosasaur vert. Looking at the pictures on your face book inquiry on my phone I couldn't see it. Large size on my monitor looks like that's what it is. 

 

[fossil_lover_2277]

2 hours ago, Plax said:

I'd say probably a piece of mosasaur vert. Looking at the pictures on your face book inquiry on my phone I couldn't see it. Large size on my monitor looks like that's what it is. 

 

Thanks for the help, yea on my own I definitely wasn’t sure, haven’t seen one in-person before

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

It'd say it's hard to say for sure, but my best guess would also be mosasaur terminal caudal vetebra. The concavity typical of procoelous (but also amphicoelous) vertebrae is definitely there, and the angle in which the process juts from the vertebral body is certainly reminiscent of chevrons on a mosasaur vertebra. Wouldn't match plesiosaur, that's for sure...

[fossil_lover_2277]

On 12/16/2021 at 4:28 PM, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said:

It'd say it's hard to say for sure, but my best guess would also be mosasaur terminal caudal vetebra. The concavity typical of procoelous (but also amphicoelous) vertebrae is definitely there, and the angle in which the process juts from the vertebral body is certainly reminiscent of chevrons on a mosasaur vertebra. Wouldn't match plesiosaur, that's for sure...

Thanks! That’s another vote for mosasaur caudal vert., particularly on the basis of those processes appearing to form the typical mosasaur chevron.