paul-waxahachie Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 I found this large Scapula today stuck in a seasonal swamp fed by the Trinity River in Dallas county. I had found two Bison Scapula in the Pleistocene Sand deposits on previous trips - both about 13 inches long by 7 inches wide. I put those in the pics for reference. This large Scapula is 1 foot wide by 21 inches long, Four inches wide at the base. Any ID help appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 The differences between a cow and bison scapula is the shape of the cupped end and the ratio of length to width of the blade. Cows have a rounder cup compared to the flattened, oval shape on a bison. Yours is somewhat oval but may not be flattened enough to be bison. Cow shoulder blades flare out more toward the wide end but part of yours is broken away so it may be hard to tell for sure. The large size suggests bison but I'm going to say bos until we hear from Rich. His opinion is the one you really want on mammal bones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul-waxahachie Posted December 2, 2013 Author Share Posted December 2, 2013 Thanks Bob...I was just surfing around trying to find a similar scapula. The scapula referenced below looks pretty much identical in size and shape. I have a cow scapula and you are right.... they are very wide compared to their length - like a wing almost. From the edges you can see where the maximum width of this scapula would be. It would be 12 inches. http://www.fingerlakesfossilfarm.org/mammal_images/bison_antiquus_latifrons_scapula-01.jpgi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Russell Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 I have found some horse scapula's that resemble the one you've pictured. Both in size and shape. I'll be interested in hearing Rich's take as well. Finding my way through life; one fossil at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 The nutrient foramen is too close to the posterior for a horse and there appears to be an acromion on the distal end of the spine. Probably at least Bovine. All this from Mr. not-Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichW9090 Posted December 5, 2013 Share Posted December 5, 2013 Hi - sorry I didn't get to this one sooner. As far as I can see it is bovid. I can't make out the nutrient foramen at all - maybe my monitor is getting fuzzy? I'll look at it more to see if I think it is Bison or Bos. The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul-waxahachie Posted December 5, 2013 Author Share Posted December 5, 2013 Thanks Rich, I searched pretty hard to find a scapula of that length on the internet. The only one I could find that was an exact match was the Extinct Bison Latifrons, the giant bison. I have attached the image. If anyone finds a closer match - please upload a pic. With Thanks, Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.