IlmareYavanna Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 A friend of mine asked me to help have this object identified. He did not find it himself; rather it was given to him several years ago by someone fossil hunting near Columbia, MO. Apparently this object was found eroding out of a creek bed. It was originally found in one piece, but the finder dropped it at some point, breaking it into two sections. Other than that, no real damage to this piece. It is extremely heavy, and as you can see from the pictures, large. First glance, it looks like it could be a limb bone (my guess would be femur, but not 100% sure). I can't honestly tell if it even is a fossil. I trust the person giving me the information, but I don't know how reliable the original finder was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlmareYavanna Posted November 28, 2014 Author Share Posted November 28, 2014 Here's the first picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlmareYavanna Posted November 28, 2014 Author Share Posted November 28, 2014 Second picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 The shape is suggestive, but I can't resolve any bone-like texture. A good, sharp image of a broken end would help a lot. 1 "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...
IlmareYavanna Posted November 28, 2014 Author Share Posted November 28, 2014 Third Picture, showing cross section of the broken piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlmareYavanna Posted November 28, 2014 Author Share Posted November 28, 2014 It is very rough. It looks like whoever found this didn't do much in the way of cleaning it up beyond taking it out of the rock. And it does look odd in cross section. The picture I sent is of the smaller, broken end. I couldn't lift the larger part one-handed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 28, 2014 Share Posted November 28, 2014 I suggest that this is not bone. There is no sign of osseous tissue: cortical ("compact") bone, cancellous ("spongy") bone, nor a medullary cavity. I think it is an interestingly weathered piece of limestone. "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...
IlmareYavanna Posted November 28, 2014 Author Share Posted November 28, 2014 That's good to know. I thought it felt strange, and not like most fossil bone that I had dealt with. I think he just wants to know what it is, even though he was assured it was a dinosaur fossil. It doesn't look carved though...it just happened to weather into the shape of a bone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now