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Round, flat, small fossil


Shellseeker

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I was out today and found mostly small teeth, a few photos of nicer fossils added to the TFF Peace River trip thread and a number of unknown (at least to me) bones. Here is one of my more interesting finds.. Small, round, flat bone may be an epiphysis, but this one seems oddly shaped even for that... and even if it is determined to be an epiphysis, it there enough to identify to an animal? 

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The White Queen  ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast"

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Jack, I'll bet that's a sloth osteoderm. (but you know my record of ID guesses)!

 

Sorry I'll miss you tomorrow.

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Looks too big for sloth. I have seen things like this called tortoise foot pads. I don't know the accuracy of that.

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29 minutes ago, Harry Pristis said:

"Foot pad" is a misnomer, I think.

 

 

 

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So there is something happening here that has exposed one of my numerous mis-impressions. I would immediately recognize any of the 4 examples Harry provides (and hundreds of similar fossils) as what has been referred to as a tortoise foot pad. However, I did not recognize this - there is no edge on the circumference and the fossil is far far more similar to an epiphysis than to a foot pad.

However, lacking acceptable other options and any telltale markings that would identify this fossil as an epiphysis, we go with a logic dictum from the Study in Scarlet: When you have eliminated the impossible .......

 

Good hunting, John

The White Queen  ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast"

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3 hours ago, Rockwood said:

Scarlet ? I thought it was Spock who said that :)

Different era, different hero, and yes indeed it was Spock who said that once. :)

I am getting too old when I can not get my attributions accurate. Sign of the Four.

The White Queen  ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast"

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