Deer Bone from Pleistocene Period

[Jeremy M]

Hello, 

I think this is a fossil as it seems heavy and old looking.

I found it in Chiswick England by the River Thames. Google lens search of the bone brought me to this site and comes up with a being a deer Bone from Pleistocene Period.

 

Can anyone tell by the pics if this is a fossil, what bone it is, and what period it is from if it is in fact a fossil. Am I correct or even close?

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[Meganeura]

Looks like a deer tibia so google lens seems right there - however I believe (And @mr.cheese correct me if I'm wrong) that that area of England is not Pleistocene so you've likely got a modern deer bone there. If you burn it very slightly with a flame - if it smells like burned hair, it's bone. If it doesn't burn or smell, it's fossilized. 

[Brandy Cole]

Although I agree that modern deer is by far the most likely answer, it does seem that there are occasional Pleistocene fossils found in gravel beds in the Thames.  Not sure how far those Pleistocene finds are from Chiswick, specifically.

In any event, they're apparently very rare, while modern animal bones like pig, sheep, and cow are common.

[Meganeura]

1 minute ago, Brandy Cole said:

Although I agree that modern deer is by far the most likely answer, it does seem that there are occasional Pleistocene fossils found in gravel beds in the Thames.  Not sure how far those Pleistocene finds are from Chiswick, specifically.

In any event, they're apparently very rare, while modern animal bones like pig, sheep, and cow are common.

I couldn't find any info on Chiswick fossils besides Lyme Regis which I know isn't particularly close (And also isn't Pleistocene) so I just went with that. But there you go, it is a possible fossil, but more likely modern! The burn test will certainly help distinguish.

[Brandy Cole]

@Meganeura I could definitely be wrong.  It just looked like from my reading that there are very rare, small pockets of Pleistocene gravel in the river that can sometimes be found over the much older geographic strata that covers the city.  But the overwhelming majority of bones are modern, and overwhelming majority of fossils found seem possibly to be Eocene.

 

It's amazing how helpful the geographic maps can be, but always surprising to me when I come across their limitations.    For example, some of the area I hunt in Texas is pretty fossiliferous from mio-Pleistocene but is strictly 'holocene' on the map.  

[Jeremy M]

Hello All,

 

Thank you for your help. I guess it kind of smells like burnt hair. I mean you have to hold the flame to it for quite a few seconds. I am disappointed as I really wanted it to me something special. I still think it is heavier and has a different feel than a regular bone. @meganeura I heard about all of the fossils in the Peace River. I recently moved from Fort Myers. I bet you find all sorts of great finds. @BrandyCole thank you also for looking into it.

 

I am still curious as to the color and weight of the bone. Do you think it still is old or does being submerged in the river  create this feeling, color, or weight?

 

Thank you again for everyone's help. I appreciate it!

 

Regards,

Jeremy

 

 

[Jeremy M]

Follow up, I asked my wife and a friend and they say it doesn't smell like burnt hair. But still not sure if it 100% a fossil.

 

Any other help is greatly appreciated.

 

 

[Lone Hunter]

From what I understand the majority of bones in the Thames, and there's a lot of them, are around 300 yrs old but ice age fossils are also found in it. The minerals and sediment along with rolling around in the river give that look to bones which appear fossil but are not. 

[Brandy Cole]

@Jeremy M I think if it displayed signs of burning at all then it's unlikely to be fossil.  I occasionally find modern bones in the river nearest me that have been river tumbled to look much older and darker than modern bone typically does. 

 

In terms of weight, it's hard to say.  It looks as though one end of the bone was open to the elements.  It's pretty common for silt from the river bed to get inside those open crevices and cake up in the bone. That can make modern bone feel a lot heavier than if it were normal and hollow.

[Jeremy M]

 @Lone Hunter OK, well a 300 year old bone is still a good find in my book lol. It's a keeper for me. 

 

@Brandy Cole I am a little disappointed, but still happy. I just looked in it and it is hollow.  No silt seems to be inside of it when I shine in it with flashlight. The quest will continue and I will keep looking.

 

Well, thank you both for your help I really appreciate it! I have heard rumors of someone finding dinosaur bones in one of the canyons here in San Diego. I am out hiking about every weekend. I am going to start looking around to see if I can find anything around here.

 

Thanks again,

Jeremy

 

 

[Fin Lover]

I have several modern fish and snake verts that I keep because they are interesting and I haven't found a fossilized version yet.  If you like it, keep it.  I feel like they help us newbies learn.

[Brandy Cole]

@Fin Lover Yep we've found a turtle skull, a really nice partial coyote jaw with teeth, and a beaver jaw with teeth and kept them.  Now I'll know what a fossil version looks like if I find it.

[Jeremy M]

Yes, I will keep it for sure. Some people think it is weird. Definitely a beginner and my name newbie fits me lol.

 

This weekend I will be off on another quest!

[Brandy Cole]

@Jeremy M Happy hunting!

[Callahan]

Hello. Just reading through this post.  I found something very similar in gravel layer in creek.  Here is yours and here is mine. 
 

my bone has a mineral streak in it also.  
 

I can scratch the bone etc and seems to be half mineralized and half boneish.