Jimbone Posted September 20, 2022 Share Posted September 20, 2022 Hi, Looking for some confirmation on these vertebrae. Found below a eroding layer of Pierre shale. Thinking Mosasaur but the two lower "wings" seem odd. Also in the last pictures you can see the thin layer of orange matrix, top of Pierre shale? K-PG Boundary perhaps? Thanks in advance for info and insight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePhysicist Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 Hello, and welcome to the forum! These do look to be mosasaur vertebrae. The "wings" you refer to are transverse processes. Without knowing where in the formation they came from, I don't think you can say anything about the matrix affixed to the last vert, though I think the K-Pg boundary can be ruled out since I don' think the Pierre shale contacts it (?). ^ https://www.researchgate.net/post/How-do-you-distinguish-lumbar-and-pygal-vertebrae-in-mosasaurs 1 "Argumentation cannot suffice for the discovery of new work, since the subtlety of Nature is greater many times than the subtlety of argument." - Carl Sagan "I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." - Richard Feynman Collections: Hell Creek Microsite | Hell Creek/Lance | Dinosaurs | Sharks | Squamates | Post Oak Creek | North Sulphur River | Lee Creek | Aguja | Permian | Devonian | Triassic | Harding Sandstone Instagram: @thephysicist_tff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 I agree they are mosasaur vertebrae. They are caudals. The two 'eye like' scars are where chevrons attached to the ventral side of the vertebra. Welcome to TFF! 2 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbone Posted September 21, 2022 Author Share Posted September 21, 2022 Interesting, Thanks for the quick replies, So the further up the tail the more the transverse processes transition in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 This photo, on Oceans of Kansas, of Platecarpus tympaniticus might help. 1 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbone Posted September 21, 2022 Author Share Posted September 21, 2022 Thanks guys, after this I am hooked. Not sure what I enjoy more, the finding it or the research learning after. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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