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Bird Or Cat?


Jack the Collector

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As I sort thorugh the recent boxes of fossils I aquired,I am starting to find a few really interesting fossils from Florida.I had little in the way of florida material until now.I am sure the ones I am going to show over the next month or so are old hat to you memebers in the south east,but its a new realm for me.

I am inlined to believe that these are both cat claws,my internet searchs came up dry.I have one book that shows any claws at all.Do the members here agree or are they not cat claws?There are only 2 of them,with two slightly varied angle shots.

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We are all merely curators for the next generation.

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The big one is from an Eagle; the smaller one has characteristics of being from a diurnal raptor as well (but I can't do any better than that).

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"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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OK, wait - a DIURNAL raptor? You can tell by looking at a claw if it's from a day bird or a night bird? What in evolution's name is the difference? Did night raptors evolve more tightly curved claws to keep from tripping over snarge in the dark? Enquiring tracers want to know...

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Of course, he can, It's Auspex. :D Bet you he could tell you what it's last meal was too! :D I'm guesing fish.

The soul of a Fossil Hunter is one that is seeking, always.

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I know he knows. I'm just trying to get him to splain. It IS a bit aerie though how much he knows about iggles and such.

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OK, wait - a DIURNAL raptor? You can tell by looking at a claw if it's from a day bird or a night bird?...

Sorry 'bout the jargon! Birds of prey are divided (for convenience, not taxonomy) into diurnal or nocturnal, with all the nocturnal raptors being owls. The articulating surface and condyle on an owl's talon are different than on hawks/eagles/falcons.

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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Guest Nicholas
Sorry 'bout the jargon! Birds of prey are divided (for convenience, not taxonomy) into diurnal or nocturnal, with all the nocturnal raptors being owls. The articulating surface and condyle on an owl's talon are different than on hawks/eagles/falcons.

Good explanation.

The fossils look great.

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...Bet you he could tell you what it's last meal was...

I'd have to have it in my hand, and even then it might take 30 or 40 years for a firm conclusion :P

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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As I sort thorugh the recent boxes of fossils I aquired,I am starting to find a few really interesting fossils from Florida.I had little in the way of florida material until now.I am sure the ones I am going to show over the next month or so are old hat to you memebers in the south east,but its a new realm for me.

I am inlined to believe that these are both cat claws,my internet searchs came up dry.I have one book that shows any claws at all.Do the members here agree or are they not cat claws?There are only 2 of them,with two slightly varied angle shots.

It looks like the Ungual Phalanges of a Dire Wolf. The one I have here is more warn but it look the same. We have three cats and it just doesn't look like cat.

The best days are spent collecting fossils

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Nice bird claws! I have been itching to find one of those since i saw someone pull one off a miocene beach, man it was beautiful. When i asked the guy how long he had been collecting fossils he said "this is my first trip", i about died

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