schlechtc Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 (edited) Hi, I found this 20 years ago when the land for my house in Portola Hills was being graded. The house is in the foothills around 1,200 feet above sea level. Anyone have any idea what it is? I can post higher res photos if needed. Here are higher res photos: Craig Edited April 12, 2015 by schlechtc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finderskeepers Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 some closer photos would help I think, looks interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Most likely marine animal bones locked up in a concretion. Whale perhaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finderskeepers Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 I was thinking the same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 This is from the middle Miocene Ladera Sandstone - the same unit produced a skeleton of the giant hippo-like desmostylian Paleoparadoxia repenningi (now Neoparadoxia repenningi) during excavation of the SLAC in the mid 1960's, and the skull of the pinniped Allodesmus packardi. Almost nothing else is known from the unit. Your specimen could be quite important; could you post some higher resolution photos? I'm afraid they're too small to tell what is inside the rock, but there are several bones and some of them look quite complicated in shape, which means that perhaps some skull elements are included. It's in the size range of a small baleen whale, dolphin, desmostylian, or pinniped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schlechtc Posted April 14, 2015 Author Share Posted April 14, 2015 This is from the middle Miocene Ladera Sandstone - the same unit produced a skeleton of the giant hippo-like desmostylian Paleoparadoxia repenningi (now Neoparadoxia repenningi) during excavation of the SLAC in the mid 1960's, and the skull of the pinniped Allodesmus packardi. Almost nothing else is known from the unit. Your specimen could be quite important; could you post some higher resolution photos? I'm afraid they're too small to tell what is inside the rock, but there are several bones and some of them look quite complicated in shape, which means that perhaps some skull elements are included. It's in the size range of a small baleen whale, dolphin, desmostylian, or pinniped. Hi, I posted the higher res photos above. Please let me know if there is anything else that I should provide? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Those are almost certainly baleen whale bones; several ribs are present, along with some larger bones I can't identify (limb bones, or perhaps part of a skull). The other possibility could be desmostylian bones. There is one dense element that could be an earbone - a diagnostic element. The rock looks hard, and any scientific study would require careful preparation of the bones out of the hard rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schlechtc Posted April 14, 2015 Author Share Posted April 14, 2015 Those are almost certainly baleen whale bones; several ribs are present, along with some larger bones I can't identify (limb bones, or perhaps part of a skull). The other possibility could be desmostylian bones. There is one dense element that could be an earbone - a diagnostic element. The rock looks hard, and any scientific study would require careful preparation of the bones out of the hard rock. Thanks for the feedback. What do you recommend I do next Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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