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Most Likely Avian


Mike from North Queensland

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Started sieving through some more material and am hopeful that I have lucked on another identifiable bird fossil.

This comes from the same place that I found a partial bird humorous and the material looks to be identical in structure. I will apologise for the photo quality but a usb computer magnifier is the best I have for fossils this size. The fossil is from the Toolebuc formation and is Albian Cretaceous making it about 100 million years old give or take.

Mike

avain 6.bmp

avian 1.bmp

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This one is fresh as found in gravel less than a hour before posting.

For size the maximum length is 4 mm

Mike

thanks in advance for looking

avian 2.bmp

avian 4.bmp

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For their length, they seem rather robust for a bird.

"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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Hard to say from the pictures, but it is possible that they are avian pedal phalanges. Send them off to Pat and let her take a look at them.

Good eyes!

The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence".

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Thanks for the replies. Auspex my first thought was the bone was fairly robust for the size but we are talking cretaceous and the phalange may not be adapted for grasping branches. My bird thought is from the fact the material is from the same batch as the humorous I found.

Rich I will send the photos to Pat for an opinion. As a side note the other avian material I found has been sent to the Queensland Museum for there collection as will this and another partial that I just found. They are going to organise someone look at the material but it is all very disarticulated so associating the material may cause problems. I am only associating the material based on same 20mm sediment layer, found within 2 metre diameter area and has the same unique preservation for the area. not scientific I know but when deposited 200 kilometres out to sea and the material isn't marine.

Mike

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Yeah, they could, xiphactinus, the photgraphs aren't quite clear enough for me to be sure if they are avian or turtleoid.

The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence".

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