Darren Garrison Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 I'm currently in a debate on IDing a possible fossil on a different forum. I think it is a rib fragment (possibly sirenian) while others think it might not be a fossil at all. The item was found in the Peace River, Florida. Can anyone weigh in on it here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 I'm posting the pictures here, for continuity, and for those who do not wish to leave the Forum to see the pictures on imgur. Rather than engage the debate on a different forum, it's best to keep the discussion here, so I have removed the link to your discussion on the other board. . 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...
Darren Garrison Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 Just to clarify (since the link was removed) I'm not the finder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 Well then you can relay to the finder that this bone is quite definitely a sirenian rib fragment as thought. In particular it is from the now extinct species called the Florida Sea Cow (Metaxytherium floridanum). These bones do not have the spongy cancellous (trabecular) inside which normally contain bone marrow in other bones and are instead solid right through to the core. This makes them preserve very well (so they are common finds in the Peace River) as well as making them very distinctive to identify. More information may be obtained here: https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/florida-vertebrate-fossils/species/metaxytherium-floridanum/ Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 Usually I do not keep them because as Ken says -- so common. At one time I had seen large numbers with a few of the fragments 20-25 inches. I had a few of those larger ones but donated to fossil club auctions over the years. On Sunday I found this 10 inch fragment and kept it just because I had not seen one this size for years -- Note the bite marks on the 1st photo... The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 Isn't that interesting that the growth rings are off center on this end photo? You'd think the bone would grow evenly in all directions expanding the diameter evenly like tree rings but here it is clearly offset and enlarging in one direction. I too only keep dugong rib fragments that interest me. Here is a picture of one rib section that is tapered to a rounded point identifying it as being the distal end (opposite the backbone). The other dugong rib fragment shows an extreme example of a rib section that was drilled by quite a number of pholads (bivalve mollusks in the family Pholadidae). This likely happened before fossilization of the rib bone (though these clams can bore into solid rock) and the record of the condominiumesque density of these critters was locked into place as the bone underwent permineralization. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-fossils Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 1 hour ago, digit said: pholads Ah, I love those critters! Well, not when they damage fossils, of course. In Dutch they are called "boormossels", which means boring mossel. I think this name is kinda cooler, and it also says exactly what they are and do. I have a few fossil pholads from the Zandmotor (species Zirphaea pilsbryi), and I really like them. Anyways about the possible fossil, on which this topic focuses about, I agree with the others that it's a fossil dugong rib. Sorry for going off topic. Best regards, Max Max Derème "I feel an echo of the lightning each time I find a fossil. [...] That is why I am a hunter: to feel that bolt of lightning every day." - Mary Anning >< Remarkable Creatures, Tracy Chevalier Instagram: @world_of_fossils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Garrison Posted February 8, 2017 Author Share Posted February 8, 2017 The original finder/asker expressed his thanks for the information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 Not off topic at all. These pholad borings are so common on the dugong rib fragments that discussion of them is well within the realm of the original topic. I like the Dutch name as well. Glad that the original finder of the rib bone is happy that they have an identification for their find. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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