Strange bone from North Florida id help please Mammoth? Mastodon? Carpal? Tarsal?

[jikohr]

Hi Everyone!

 

I recently acquired a bunch of Mammal bones from Florida and I've been going through them hoping to hone my id skills. But I'm still new to this area and would greatly appreciate some confirmation. I think this piece is a carpal/tarsal from a Mammoth or Mastodon. It measures about 3.25 x 2.75 x 1.5 inches and was found in North Florida.

What do ya'll think?  

[Tidgy's Dad]

Well, I'm probably miles off, but this looks more like a Devonian coral colony to me.

[val horn]

I too am not recognizing it as bone.  Looking for articulating surfaces, cortical bone, exposed trabecular bone

[jikohr]

56 minutes ago, val horn said:

I too am not recognizing it as bone.  Looking for articulating surfaces, cortical bone, exposed trabecular bone

Here's a close up

[jikohr]

1 hour ago, val horn said:

I too am not recognizing it as bone.  Looking for articulating surfaces, cortical bone, exposed trabecular bone

here's a better close up

[val horn]

Ok, thank you.  It is bone whose and what i have no idea.  I am surprised by the number  vascular spaces.  That may help someone to recognize the species or the bone but while i find it odd i dont recognize it.  Is there a cortex to this bone?  Again maybe i am not seeing it right or it is missing or very thin which suggests that it might be a piece of a very large vertebrae as from a large whale.

 

 

[jikohr]

46 minutes ago, val horn said:

Ok, thank you.  It is bone whose and what i have no idea.  I am surprised by the number  vascular spaces.  That may help someone to recognize the species or the bone but while i find it odd i dont recognize it.  Is there a cortex to this bone?  Again maybe i am not seeing it right or it is missing or very thin which suggests that it might be a piece of a very large vertebrae as from a large whale.

 

 

You can see the cortex in the first close up. In the center is some damage which exposes marrow and around that is the cortex or what's left of it. It seems to have weathered, or this bone just has a very thin cortex. It could also be a carpal of a large whale. Like I said, I'm still kinda new at Pleistocene mammal bone id. That's why I'm here hoping to learn the difference!

[Shellseeker]

I think you are correct..  We are down to very few choices for 4 inch bones of Pleistocene mammals in out hunting areas. I have found bones almost exactly like this, similar sized.  @Harry Pristis or @digit or @PODIGGER might have some. 

[Shellseeker]

Here is a lunar from a Florida Mammoth.  Came from University of Florida Paleontology database.  Note the size... right in the range of your bone..  Your bone might not be a lunar but in life, it was positioned close ...

[digit]

Definitely has some resemblance to a carpal. I don't see enough of these to be able to judge the subtle characteristics to make anything close to a proper ID. We'll see if Harry has some thoughts. Alternatively, I'd suggest emailing Richard Hulbert these images and see what he has to say. You can get his contact email by searching for "richard hulbert flmnh". I know he's going to be preoccupied working at the Fantastic Fossils exhibit currently running at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the UF campus but this email might get through to him. He sees dozens of emails each day (mostly wishful thinking pseudofossils and Florida "dinosaur eggs") but he might enjoy identifying an actual Florida fossil.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[val horn]

Contacting Dr Hulbert seems like a really good idea.  I went on line and looked at mammoth wrist bones and they are very rich in blood vessels, and looked at whale carpals and could convince myself of that as well.  the whale carpals is from the Fossilguy.com. and the mammoth from The Rock Gallery.co.uk

[jikohr]

Thanks guys!

I'll message Dr.(?) Hulbert and see what he thinks. After looking at Val Horn's pics I'm leaning toward cetacean now but you never know.

[JohnJ]

Compare to the foot bones Here.

[jikohr]

15 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

Compare to the foot bones Here.

Oh WOW!

Thanks man, this place is incredible.

The most similar is the ectocunieform but there seems to be a few differences in shape. Maybe my thing is an ectocunieform of a mammoth instead of a mastodon?