Ice Age Bison Jaw Fossil Or Modern Fake?

[melissagish]

Hi again. I bought this from someone online but now that I have it I am thinking it doesn't "feel" like a fossil. I have some other ice age animal jaws/teeth and they feel like they are heavier and have a thicker, heavier outer layer. This appears to have a weird stain or coating on it, and it feels very smooth. I am wondering if it is a modern bone that has been made to look like a fossil. The seller insists it is at least 12k years old. It just doesn't have that nice brown color. Instead it's sort of grayish/blackish mottled looking. On the side with the crack, I can give it a little push and have it bend inward. Also, looking inside the crack, the dark color on the outside seems to give way to a little lighter color. Any thoughts?

[jcbshark]

If you can bend it at all I wouldn't think its fossil. You could also try burning a little piece to see if it smells like burnt hair, if so its modern

Edited February 9, 2015 by jcbshark

[amour 25]

Might look there.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Fossil+bison+jaws&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=l6feVNKdOYSVNu3BgIgP&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1680&bih=928#imgdii=_

I have not yet found a Bison jaw that was stone.

Some teeth are blue the older ones.

Jeff

[MgTattooer86]

The individual who found it may have pulled it from a river or stream, I've found a lot of modern horse jaws that appear to be fossilized but are only a few decades old... sitting in rivers over a period of time can cause rapid discoloration of bone. They ( the seller) may very well believed it to be 12k y.o.

[megaholic]

My opinion, and that is all it is.. I have to agree with you Melissa.

It looks more like a bos (cow) jaw that has been artificially colored. If you look at bison teeth closely the small vertical ridges on the teeth are more pronounced on bison teeth. Their name escapes me at the moment. That said, your jaw appears small for bison, but if it is, the younger teeth may look more like bos. The fact that it is so flexible, and the general color, and tooth appearance, all make me also question that it is as advertised. If it were mine I would test it somewhere with a cotton swab dipped in acetone, to see if that melts away any color. It should not hurt the fossil at all, and if anything comes off, you have a smoking gun,,,

Let's see what some of the others say.

MH

[melissagish]

Thanks everyone! All very helpful information! I gave it a little shake, and something from the inside fell out. I took a match to it, and YES...that is SO weird...it smelled like burning hair. I also gave it a little test with acetone, and some gummy stuff came off. I asked the seller about it, and he said he coated it with Elmer's glue to preserve it; he also said he found it in a river. I think you guys are right: it's a modern bone that has been through a lot in its lifetime but not the Ice Age. I'm sure it was an honest mistake. The seller agreed to take it back for a refund, but I lost $10 in shipping. I'm still learning, so I appreciate all your help. I'll be more careful about buying online in the future. Thanks.

[Elementalmage]

Wow, thanks to everybody that posted the tips here. I learnt quite a bit from this thread.

[jpevahouse]

There has been a flood of "fossil" bison bones on eBay which are most likely from historic times, maybe 150 years old. Bison thrived in the millions on the plains and mid west until recently. They were slaughtered in vast quantities during the post Civil War era. It should be no surprise that quantities of bison bones are to be found in the streams west of the Mississippi River. Bison bones found east of the Mississippi River, particularly the east coast can be assumed to be of much older vintage since their populations declined several thousand years ago. However, it is unclear exactly how late bison lived along the east coast, possibly up to a few thousand years ago.

Buyer beware.

[Ridgehiker]

Here in Alberta we find large numbers of bison material. Bones, teeth, etc.

Unless there is something extremely diagnostic... Could be 150 years old or 5,000 years old. It all depends in the conditions of deposition, etc. Exposure, water, minerals, etc. Neither the new or older specimens are rare. No need to misrepresent it.

More or less unlimited deposits 'if' this is what one is searching for. We tend to find bison material jumping over creeks, trekking along randomly. Along the banks of any badlands rivers we could find bison bones eroding out of the clays and washed by the meandering waters. People are often asking 'how old is this'...meh... No definitive way of answering other than to guesstimate.