Horse Bone

[jshclvrt1]

I found this bone in the brazos yesterday. It's kind of heavy for a bone so I believe it to be somewhat fossilized. It also passes the "tink" test in my opinion; however I have not found an area I want to sacrifice to fire for a smell test. I was wondering if I'm right in it being a horse metatarsal. If so can it be determined whether if it is a European introduced horse or an extinct species . thanks for looking.

[abyssunder]

Welcome to the Forum! ...but don`t sacrifice to fire before you know what it is...

[RichW9090]

Horse metapodial.

[jshclvrt1]

Thanks for the clarification. I've been using Google as my only reference tool and, metacarpal, metatarsal and metapodial all have similar images. Is there such thing as a fossil field guide that can help me in determining my finds? So I guess it is an example of a modern horse metapodial.

[Auspex]

...So I guess it is an example of a modern horse metapodial.

"Modern" in so far as it appears to be the extant Equus ferus; this critter went extinct on this continent some time between 10,000 and 7,600 years ago, and were re-introduced by European colonists. With an isolated bone, its context in the strata is paramount in confidently determining whether it is prehistoric. Under the right circumstances, bones can become fully mineralized in as little as a generation.

[jshclvrt1]

Since I found it in the river I guess there's no way to tell what strata it came from. I suspect it's not prehistoric. It's interesting the horse brought to North America by the Europeans was here before. I wonder what made them go extinct here. I can hear stuff rattling in the inside so I think I'll keep it.

[PrehistoricFlorida]

"Modern" in so far as it appears to be the extant Equus ferus; this critter went extinct on this continent some time between 10,000 and 7,600 years ago, and were re-introduced by European colonists. With an isolated bone, its context in the strata is paramount in confidently determining whether it is prehistoric. Under the right circumstances, bones can become fully mineralized in as little as a generation.

It is virtually impossible to identify horse bones or teeth down to species. This bone is best described as Equus sp. At least in regards to the Florida fossil record (and I suspect Texas may be similar) the extant horse, E. ferus, is not recognized.

[Harry Pristis]

The equid bone is a metatarsal -- termed the "cannon bone" in some ungulants such as horses, bovids, and camels -- from the hind leg.

"Metapodial" (which includes metatarsal and metacarpal) is the inclusive term for the analogous limb bones of most vertebrates.

For illustration, human metatarsals are arrayed in the arch of the foot, while metacarpals are found in the back of the human hand. The undifferentiated metatarsals and metacarpals may be referred to as metapodials. Humans and peccaries do not have cannon bones.