metalreptile Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Hello folks! My name is Roger & I'm in Taylorsville, NC. This is my first post here, so I'm sure I will make a lot of mistakes. Please be gentle!I ran across an interesting bone last week at, of all places, a local gun shop. The owner had kept it for about 25 years & found it again recently and decided to sell it. Originally, he was going to make a knife handle out of it, but of course never did. He told me it was a fossil mastodon leg bone, or that's what the man he got it from had told him 25 years ago. I was pretty sure it was too small for that, but decided to buy it just for my collection of oddities. I figure it is a bison leg bone, but not sure. Not even sure it's fossilized at all. It is heavy for a bone, but I suppose a bison leg bone would be, as it would be dense enough to support the weight.All that being said, what do you think? Bison? The free story that came with it says it was brought from Alaska, but no way to even remotely verify that. Thanks for any info you can provide! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Cow or Bison metapodial. Differentiating between the two can be tough, especially if you don't know exactly it came from. "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...
Harry Pristis Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 For comparison: http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalreptile Posted November 26, 2014 Author Share Posted November 26, 2014 For comparison: bison_bos_metatarsals_dorsal.JPG Thanks for the info. Judging by that chart, and the size & thickness of the bone, I'm going to venture an uneducated guess at it being Bison. Guess I'll never know for sure, but it's an interesting old piece either way. How can I tell if it is even partially fossilized, or just an old bone someone picked up years ago? I don't want to damage it in any way to find out, but would like to know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 "4" in the comparative illustration favors Bos, while "5" favors Bison. Overall, the bone is comparatively gracile, so there are two points for Bos. You might need to take it to a museum with a specialist and a comparative collection. There is no non-destructive means to determine its age, and mineralization can occur in a surprisingly short time, depending on the conditions of deposition (which are unknown in this case). "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...
Harry Pristis Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 I rather think it's Bos, based on the dorsal channel. Here another illustration of the differences: http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalreptile Posted November 27, 2014 Author Share Posted November 27, 2014 Snapped a few more closeups. So this is probably not Bos & not Bison? Sure wish I could know how old it actually is. I love the patina it has.....makes a good display piece if nothing else! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 (edited) No, I think this IS a cow bone. Expect minor variations in these articular facets. Edited November 27, 2014 by Harry Pristis http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichW9090 Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 With that much difference between the two, I can't see how anyone could mistake them..... The plural of "anecdote" is not "evidence". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalreptile Posted November 27, 2014 Author Share Posted November 27, 2014 Thanks guys. I know next to nothing about any of this, so the info is greatly appreciated. I can look at the comparisons, but don't have much of a clue as to what is what when comparing to the real bone. At least now I know I have an old cow bone. Oh well, still an interesting piece with nice patina and a good conversation piece. Thanks again for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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