I_gotta_rock Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Found this at Flag Ponds Nature Park in Calvert County, MD. It had washed up to the shallows from who knows where. I assume you all know that area is predominantly miocene marine fossils, but some occasional land mammal and bird material. Our guess was maybe cetacean wrist bone, but can't find any matches on whale skeleton diagrams online. Any clues? I refuse to give up my childish wonder at the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 (edited) Maybe a deer astragalus. Looks similar to me. Other more experienced bone folks should weigh in soon. Regards, Edited April 15, 2015 by Fossildude19 Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcbshark Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I'm with Tim on that : ) Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 An astragalus, yes, but I think it is about 30% bigger than that of a White-tailed deer... "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...
Fossildude19 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Bison? Harry has a few in his gallery to compare with. http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/gallery/image/2-artiodactyl-astragali/ Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_gotta_rock Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 Looking at then pix, definitely not white-tail deer. The sides of the deer astragalus are too deeply grooved. Might be a young bison. Shape generally fits, though mine has obviously been worn down a bit. Much smaller than the ones in Harry's pictures, though. Mine is as long as his are wide. I refuse to give up my childish wonder at the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteseer Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 If it's Miocene or Pliocene, it's too old to be a bison but if it's Miocene-Pliocene, it could be from a camel. Someone who really knows bones would have to determine how worn-down it is. I think it is still identifiable but it would have helped to know the age of the rock it came from. There were entelodonts still in North America during the Early Miocene but I'm not sure they were still around by the time of Calvert Formation deposition, assuming the bone is that old. Bison arrived in North America during the Pleistocene. Looking at then pix, definitely not white-tail deer. The sides of the deer astragalus are too deeply grooved. Might be a young bison. Shape generally fits, though mine has obviously been worn down a bit. Much smaller than the ones in Harry's pictures, though. Mine is as long as his are wide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_gotta_rock Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 Stephen Godfrey at the velvet Marine Museum was kind enough to look into this for me. He and his assistant curator found a dead ringer for it in their collection. The verdict is peccary. I refuse to give up my childish wonder at the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Stephen Godfrey at the velvet Marine Museum was kind enough to look into this for me. He and his assistant curator found a dead ringer for it in their collection. The verdict is peccary. Thanks for the updated answer! Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Bingo! Good work identifying this great fossil "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...
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