What Is This?

[lytleb]

My friend found this in a stream bed in Monmouth Co., NJ. We like to look for sharks teeth on the gravel banks after heavy rains.Most fossils are late cretaceous period.

[Auspex]

Interesting bone! Would it be possible to see a picture of the other side(s)?

[Fossildude19]

Part of a deer pelvis?

I'm not an expert, so this is just a guess.

Regards,

Edited June 5, 2012 by Fossildude19

[lytleb]

Here is a picture of the otherside. I will try to add a couple more too. Thanks for the quick responses. We are so interested in this. Monmouth County, NJ streams produce a lot of interesting finds besides shark teeth and other fossils from the bottom of the ancient sea floor. There are ice age finds, arrow heads and early colonial artifacts.

[Taxman56]

does it feel heavy and minerialized or light?

Theres a lot of dead deer along those creeks

[uncoat]

Its defiantly part of a skull. Of what im not sure. im sure some others that know the prehistoric critters in that area will chime in.

[uncoat]

does it feel heavy and minerialized or light?

Theres a lot of dead deer along those creeks

Not a deer.

[ashcraft]

My GUESS is fish. It looks similar to a catfish skull that I have (in a very general way).

Brent Ashcraft

[uncoat]

Thats a very cool skull cap lytleb! It look mammalian to me. Do you think you could post a close up on the center of the underside? I cant tell if i see teeth holes or just broken bone.

Very cool find!

Nick

[TMNH]

Thats a very cool skull cap lytleb! It look mammalian to me. Do you think you could post a close up on the center of the underside? I cant tell if i see teeth holes or just broken bone.

Very cool find!

Nick

I agree that it looks mamalian...strange looking skull though...I've never seen anything like it (that I can remember)

[Bullsnake]

Any hogs around there?

[Malcolmt]

Definately not a catfish or any other type of fish skull. Not a bird skull. Looks distinctly mammalian, not a deer or dog skull or coyote or beaver

I think it looks like a broken racoon skull.... but what would I know I'm into trilobites......

Too bad there are no jaws or teeth....

Edited June 5, 2012 by Malcolmt

[Auspex]

Piggy looking...

[lytleb]

Here are some more pictures. It is heavy and seems mineralized. It appears to be a skull that has a big, flat skull base quite close to its eyes. From there it goes into what seems to be a cranial area with eye sockets both out front, not on the sides. There appears to be sinus cavities going forward.I can look straight through it, now that i got the clay out off it. There appears to be broken bone where teeth sockets would be.

[Xiphactinus]

Pig or sloth?

[lytleb]

Closest thing I can find so far that looks anything like this is the skull of the Pleistocene giant beaver. Over 8' long, simlilar to todays black bear. After 'googling' a bit, and reading descriptions of the skull, perhaps that's what it is.