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Unknown Vertebra


whowat13

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I got this from a friend of mine this past weekend...

Other than the fact that it is a vertebra, and that it looks reptilian to me... I know absolutely nothing about it.

I hope someone can help ID it for me, but I am not holding my breath...

-Bill

post-5742-0-30267500-1432824998_thumb.jpgpost-5742-0-61421000-1432825008_thumb.jpg

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Either the longnose gar Lepisosteus, or the more derived alligator gar Atractosteus.

Actually, gar vertebrae are sort-of the opposite of reptile vertebrae - they're opisthocoelous (the concave side of the centrum is posterior), unlike the typical procoelous (the concave side of the centrum is anterior) reptile vertebrae (most lizards, snakes, crocs; but not dinosaurs). In your first photo (the dorsal view), anterior is toward the top. Opisthocoelous vertebrae are unusual, even for fish.

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