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Is This A Pachycephalosaurus Foot?


Necolasa

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My fiance's favorite Dinosaur is a Pachycephalosaurus and I am looking to get him a really impressive an most importantly authentic fossil from one this christmas. I wash browsing around and so far have been able to find authentic teeth and toe bones but they are pricey and little the upsite is they come from a reliable site that backs their fossils with a certificate of authenticity. Yet on ebay I can find the same for half price and they look pretty real but I'm no expert. So I was wondering if this fossil looks like the real deal? Or if anyone can point me in a better direction? Thank you!

 

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This site, from what I surmise, isn't and doesn't do fossil appraisals. However, my personal two cents is that this dealer on ebay has a 100% positive feedback rating with over 1600 transactions and 8 bids so far. He also has a reserve and I would take that as a positive that this is an authentic fossil. But without picking up the specimen and looking at it with a trained eye it's hard to say from pics on eBay. If that was my fav Dino I would want something like a jaw or partial skull not a toe with claw but hey that's just me.

Mikey

Many times I've wondered how much there is to know.  
led zeppelin

 

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Thanks Mikey, unfortunately I can't afford anything large like that....the other site was selling just the claw for as much. Do you know of anyplace I might be able to get a partial skull? The ones I've seen in my price range look like boring rocks :(

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No prob but, Dinosaur fossils, good Dinosaur fossils =$$$$.

Mikey

Many times I've wondered how much there is to know.  
led zeppelin

 

MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png IPFOTM.png IPFOTM2.png IPFOTM3.png IPFOTM4.png IPFOTM5.png

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This particular seller is a 'flipper', buying items (often from estates) and then selling them as what he has been told they are. This is not a bad thing, in-and-of itself, but bear in mind that he it not an expert. We've members who are knowledgeable about dino bones; hopefully some will stop by and weigh in.

I will edit the topic title so as to attract their attention.

"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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A few things about pachycephalosaurs...

By far the most common fossils of them is the skull cap. I haven't put the time into looking to see what is for sale, but my guess is that the skull cap is also the most common thing on ebay and whatnot. Problem is, as you said, it looks like a darn ole rock. Very little skullish about it, even though it is. The teeth are puny and rare. The rest of the body is only known from one specimen as far as I know. Correction...one specimen from the US. There might be a few from Mongolia and China... not sure. I do not know what the toes and claws look like, but this looks a lot like a Thescelosaurus foot to me. Again... pachy feet might look a lot like Thesc, but I am not the one to say so. Any of you other late Cret dinosaur guys know?

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I just noticed that the same seller has a Thescelosaurus vertebra for sale... labeled as pachycephalosaur.... if you find it notice the crenualtions along the edges... this is typical of Thesc.

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So, there you go.

You could consider a cast replica skull: LINK

"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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I asked the seller if he could tell me why it is not a Thescelosaurus foot and this is what I just got back...



Hello and Thank you for your interest....It is definitely a Pachycephalosaur specimen. As you know they are both herbivores and they are similar. Also mine has been additionally identified by other very reliable sources. Sincerely............
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I'm not sure if this is a Pachy or Thesc because the feet can be very similar. If you look at what organizations like the Black Hills Institute have on display you cannot see the difference. But what I can tell you is that the toe is all wrong for either species. It's a composite toe of a toe bone from one digit and two from another. The claw is also painted to improve the color match so it was probably a surface find and sun faded. I agree with Auspex comments that this seller is a flipper and relies on others for ID. To me this is just a bunch of bones assembled to resemble a toe.

Edited by Troodon
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Your smart to research your purchase. I would follow the advice of the previous responses.

It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators.

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Yes, I didn't like the seller's response to Jpc's question. First, he says it's definitely Pachycephalosaurus but he doesn't provide distinguishing characteristics. Then, he says "other very reliable sources" confirmed it. Yeah, because scientists and advanced collectors spend their time identifying specimens for Ebay sellers?

Also, I've known Troodon for years. He knows dinosaur fossils especially the Hell Creek-age stuff. He has seen a lot of paint and putty. If he isn't sure and he says the toe bones don't match anyway, believe him over a guy trying to sell you something.

Your smart to research your purchase. I would follow the advice of the previous responses.

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I asked the seller if he could tell me why it is not a Thescelosaurus foot and this is what I just got back...

Hello and Thank you for your interest....It is definitely a Pachycephalosaur specimen. As you know they are both herbivores and they are similar. Also mine has been additionally identified by other very reliable sources. Sincerely............

Ha, that's a golden response for you :rofl:

I would say it's unlikely this is part of a Pachycephalosaur.

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Ha, that's a golden response for you :rofl:

I would say it's unlikely this is part of a Pachycephalosaur.

Yeah, I was being pretty neutral in my post, but yeah....

"someone sed so"

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  • 2 months later...

Sorry for not replying sooner but thanks for all your help! I found a toe bone for a very reasonable price from www.indiana9fossils.com. My fiance was so suprised he loved it! Will def. be looking for a skull replica in the future!

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  • 4 years later...
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