Help with Id of some fossils.

[ilzho]

Hello:

 

I am going through my collection of fossils when I was a kid over 30 years ago and it seems that I either forgot what these are or they were mislabeled.

So any help is appreciated.

Most of these fossils that I will post are either from the beaches of North Carolina or of some fossils quarries, like Aurora Phosphate mine, Castle Hayne, etc.

I appreciate it!

David

[Max-fossils]

Hi David,

 

I am really not sure about my answer, but this is the most I can help: I think photos 4 and 5 are bone fragments, they look a bit similar to those I find on the Dutch beaches. And the fossil on photo 6 and 7 (it's the same thing on both photos, right?) look like some kind of vert.

 

Wait till more experienced people pitch in!

 

Best regards,

 

Max

[Guguita2104]

Hello ilzho!

I see bone fragments and reptilian osteoderms (2nd and 3rd pic):https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteoderm

 

Regards,

[ilzho]

Hi: Thanks for your reply.

Yes, front and back of the items. 

1/2 maybe some kind of mouth plates?

3/4 part of turtle shell?

5 ?

6/7 Part of turtle?

 

But just guesses.......

[Al Dente]

The first photo of the group of 5 bones are crocodile osteoderms. The next is a large piece of turtle shell. The pointed objects are Anoxypristis rostral teeth, most likely Oligocene . The last piece is turtle shell from the midline of the shell.

[ilzho]

Perfect.

Thanks everyone.

I'll post more. Thank you!!

[Vieira]

1/2 - Definitely crocodile osteoderms;

3/4 - Turtle Shell without any doubt;

5 - I agree with Anoxypristis rostral teeth;

6/7 - Look likes turtle shell...

[ilzho]

Stupid question. 

Is Osteoderms skin?

So these are crocodile skin plates?

I assume where the holes/indentations are in the fossil is where the small scaly like knobby patters are on the outside of the skin?

just trying to get better understanding of what I have. 

Thanks. 

[ynot]

1 minute ago, ilzho said:

Stupid question. 

Is Osteoderms skin?

So these are crocodile skin plates?

I assume where the holes/indentations are in the fossil is where the small scaly like knobby patters are on the outside of the skin?

just trying to get better understanding of what I have. 

Thanks. 

It is not skin, it is a bony plate that sits just under the skin.

The indentations are where the osteoderm is attached to the body and were on the underside of the osteoderm with the skin on top.

[ilzho]

Thank you. I realized after I wrote this that skin doesn't fossilize. 

Cool. As a kid I though these might be drum fish mouth plates. 

Amazing what the mind of a child can think of. 

[Harry Pristis]

11 hours ago, ynot said:

It is not skin, it is a bony plate that sits just under the skin.

The indentations are where the osteoderm is attached to the body and were on the underside of the osteoderm with the skin on top.

 

Just the reverse is true: the dimples in the osteoderms are exterior, while the smooth sides are the interior sides.  This is evident from the contour of many of these bones.

 

I'm not sure why the osteoderms are dimpled.  It may be an economy of weight -- crocodilians carry a load of 'em.  It may be to provide greater surface area for the attachment of skin and scutes, the keratinous exterior of croc' armor.  These dimples are not visible in a living crocodilian, so they appear to give some increased thickness of skin between the scutes and the osteoderms.

 

Lest there be any confusion of terms here:  Osteoderms are bone.  Scutes are keratin (like your fingernails).

[ynot]

9 hours ago, Harry Pristis said:

Just the reverse is true: the dimples in the osteoderms are exterior, while the smooth sides are the interior sides.  This is evident from the contour of many of these bones.

Sorry, My bad.

Tony