DE&i Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Hi everyone, I went for a stroll around one of the gravel pits where i live , this particular pit i found had a lot off Upper Jurassic clay in the bottom of the pit which was overlain by Ipswichian gravel. This is the fragmented bone i found not sure if it is from a mammal....the red line indicates its 5 inches in length and about a quarter of an inch at its thickest point. Sorry about the poor quality of the photo the light was fading when i came out of the pit....would anyone know what part of the animal it might be . My first thought was perhaps a bird but im not so sure. Regards, Darren. Regards.....D&E&i The only certainty with fossil hunting is the uncertainty. https://lnk.bio/Darren.Withers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 The only avian skeletal element with morphology that approaches this is the keel of the sternum, and the assumed attachment point (where it is broken) is wrong, in that the whole would be far too big for any carinate bird. I think we need to look elsewhere in the vertebrate family tree. "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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyc Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Sloth claw? More pics and different angles will help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichW9090 Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 (edited) At first glance, I thought the coronoid process of a mandible, but again, way to big for any ungulate. If I had to guess, I'd guess a fragment of pelvis of something. I'm pretty sure it is mammal. Highly unlikely to be a sloth claw in England. Edited July 31, 2013 by RichW9090 The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE&i Posted August 11, 2013 Author Share Posted August 11, 2013 (edited) What would the possibilities of this being human....i kind off feel a bit stupid for asking this question , especially as I haven't offered some more photos as yet. A friend of mine has took it to our local musuem , how about perhaps part of a human eye socket or cheek bone. Darren. Edited August 11, 2013 by D&E Regards.....D&E&i The only certainty with fossil hunting is the uncertainty. https://lnk.bio/Darren.Withers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichW9090 Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Human bone has a different look and feel than any other mammal bone, even including the other great apes. This piece just doesn't have the look of human bone. Rich The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE&i Posted September 12, 2013 Author Share Posted September 12, 2013 Its now been suggested this piece of bone may be from the back of a Hippo skull could that be possible ? Regards, Darren. Regards.....D&E&i The only certainty with fossil hunting is the uncertainty. https://lnk.bio/Darren.Withers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichW9090 Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Can you provide a side view? The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DE&i Posted September 15, 2013 Author Share Posted September 15, 2013 Can you provide a side view? Hi Rich, Hope these may be of use to you. Regards, Darren. Regards.....D&E&i The only certainty with fossil hunting is the uncertainty. https://lnk.bio/Darren.Withers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 This is an example of the part (break point in red) of an avian sternum it resembles: I think it unlikely for a couple reasons: The carinal apex is among the least ossified skeletal elements in a bird, and does not often preserve. It would have been an impossibly huge sternum. I am eager to be proven wrong, though! "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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichW9090 Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 I agree with Auspex - it would have to have been from a really large bird, and it just doesn't look "birdy" to me. I think it more likely to be the coronoid process of an ungulate. It most resembles the coronoid of a suid, but that is a very variable part of the mandible, and it may not be identifiable beyond ungulate. Rich The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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