Vertebra ID Assistance

[Minnesota Nice]

Would love to have a definitive ID on this small vertebra from the White River Formation Jackson County South Dakota. 

[Spinosaurus]

i think its oreodont. i found this picture on google and it looks like yours

[jpc]

Mammal.... it might be oreodont sized, but mammal verts can all look quite similar,esp without the processes.  My answer: oreodont-sized mammal.  

[LordTrilobite]

It's hard to tell because the bone hasn't been completely cleaned yet. But it looks like the centrum might not have fused with the neural arch. In which case, it would be a juvenile.

[Minnesota Nice]

2 hours ago, LordTrilobite said:

It's hard to tell because the bone hasn't been completely cleaned yet. But it looks like the centrum might not have fused with the neural arch. In which case, it would be a juvenile.

LordTrilobite,

If its not to much trouble can you expand on your comment regarding the fused centrum and neural arch. I did a little prep but stopped because I didn't want to do any damage. What should I be looking for to confirm a juvenile?

[LordTrilobite]

I did a quick search for some example images.

 

Vertebrae are made of two bones. The centrum and the neural arch. In juveniles these are not fused.

 

If it is indeed unfused. You'll want to look for a structure that looks like this. Notice how it's very rough, this surface interlocks with the bone that's attached to it. In older individuals this will be fused. If it is fused. The spot where the neural arch would have attached will not have this structure, it will just look like broken bone.

[Ridgehiker]

13 hours ago, jpc said:

Mammal.... it might be oreodont sized, but mammal verts can all look quite similar,esp without the processes.  My answer: oreodont-sized mammal.  

 

Agreed. Everything about it matches the oreodont vertebrae I have found...especially the end shape.

 

However, JPC makes a good point in that one needs to be aware of similar shaped vertebrae from other mammals.  We also run into this with dino vertebrae...at the extreme they can be quite distinct but there is a continuum where there can be crossover characteristics and I will put 'probable' on the label.