Is it a possible dinosaur bone or fossilised wood?

[Foggy05]

Hi

I found the following on a beach in the Isle of Wight in the UK, can anyone tell me what it might be.

Its about 4 inches in length and 2-3 inches wide. It seems bone shaped with a obvious centre, it's brown in colouring.

Some thoughts I had were fossilised coral, wood or even bone? 

I have other images if it helps.

Thanks

Edited September 3, 2016 by Foggy05
Spelling error

[Troodon]

Welcome to the forum.

All I can say is that it does not look like a dinosaur bone.  Looks geologic from that photo.  Better end photos might help.

[Foggy05]

Thanks, here's the other end, I'll pop another on from a different angle,

Sorry I can only upload one at a time.

 

[Foggy05]

[Strepsodus]

Hi.  I think it's a Flint burrow from the chalk (Cretaceous age- around 70 million years old.)

 

Daniel

[JohnJ]

I agree with Daniel; this is flint.

[Foggy05]

Thanks all, really interesting, will look it up. 

Cheers

[Kosmoceras]

This is indeed flint - not a burrow but it does contain a fossil sponge.

[Seguidora-de-Isis]

Welcome to the forum!

I think it's more likely to be flint from the Upper Cretaceous Chalk about 80 million years old.  It is a Trace Fossil - the flint cast of a burrow made on the seabed by a crustacean (crab or shrimp).

[Kosmoceras]

The distinguishing feature here which illustrates this to be a sponge as oppose to a burrow is the fluffy, quite pitted texture in the centre which can be seen in the first photo (and also your photo SEGUIDORA-DE-ISIS). It is like old mortar in texture.

There are some more examples of this structure here: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/26760-r%C3%BCgen-island-lower-maastrichtian-flint-sponges/

Sponges are some of the most common fossils in flint and they come in a range of forms; some are very spherical, others elongated or mushroom shaped. Sometimes the structure of the sponge is preserved inside the flint but more often than not the sponge skeleton breaks down and we are left with a semi-hollow flint nodule, known as a “rotten” flint. The fluffy texture that you can see here is a sign of a “rotten” sponge in flint and is the remains of the sponge that has broken down.

And by the way SEGUIDORA-DE-ISIS, the picture you posted (sourced from here http://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/thread/22024 on the NHM Nature Plus Site) was also identified as a sponge by the NHM Museum ID team.

Some background to flint: “Flints occur within the White Chalk and are typically concentrated into horizons.  They formed as concretions of silica, sourced from sponges and siliceous plankton, which was soluble on the sea-floor but re-precipitated within the sediment.  Nodular flints tend to follow the course of burrows or are found infilling and enveloping the shells of dead organisms such as echinoids.” Source: www.chalk.discoveringfossils.co.uk

Because flints are formed within the White Chalk, we can narrow down the age to around 70-90 million years old.

Best regards,