Large Dinosaur Vertebra ID? - Lance Creek FM

[MarcusFossils]

Hi all, 

 

I've had this incomplete vertebra on my display shelf for awhile..is it too damaged to determine what dinosaur / group of dinosaurs it may belong too? 

 

Sharper pictures or pictures of different angles / details will be taken asap if needed! 

 

Thank you! 

Marc 

[FossilDudeCO]

@Troodon can help

 

[Troodon]

Marc having a bit of difficulty with orientation on a few of the photos.  Can you identify what view I'm looking at.   Is a neural canal visible?   Not sure we will get an answer.

[MarcusFossils]

19 minutes ago, Troodon said:

Marc having a bit of difficulty with orientation on a few of the photos.  Can you identify what view I'm looking at.   Is a neural canal visible?   Not sure we will get an answer.

 

Hi Troodon, 

 

The first photo is the vertebra seen from the front, with the neural spine (broken off) pointing straight up at 12 o'clock 

The second photo is the same as the first, but looking at the vertebra from behind 

The third photo is looking straight down onto the vertebra, with the front of the vertebra a 12 o'clock 

The last photo is a lateral view, with the front of the vertebra at 3 o'clock. The missing centrum would be at 6 o'clock, and the missing neural spine would be at 12 o'clock. 

 

Hope this helps

Marc

[Troodon]

8 minutes ago, MarcusFossils said:

 

Hi Troodon, 

 

The first photo is the vertebra seen from the front, with the neural spine (broken off) pointing straight up at 12 o'clock 

The second photo is the same as the first, but looking at the vertebra from behind 

The third photo is looking straight down onto the vertebra, with the front of the vertebra a 12 o'clock 

The last photo is a lateral view, with the front of the vertebra at 3 o'clock. The missing centrum would be at 6 o'clock, and the missing neural spine would be at 12 o'clock. 

 

Hope this helps

Marc

 

What I thought thanks.  Where is the neural canal ?

[MarcusFossils]

16 minutes ago, Troodon said:

 

What I thought thanks.  Where is the neural canal ?

 

I think the neural canal would have been somewhere between this chunk, and the centrum. 

I oriented my chunk with the other picture, with mine corresponding to the area between the red lines. 

 

[MarcusFossils]

This is a slightly rotated version of the above image. 

 

[Troodon]

Your horizontal spines look V shaped so looks like a Dorsal vert.  Any resemblance to this it's Ceratopsian

[MarcusFossils]

7 minutes ago, Troodon said:

Your horizontal spines look V shaped so looks like a Dorsal vert.  Any resemblance to this it's Ceratopsian

 

 

That's an almost perfect match! Thanks Troodon

 

What are the chances this is from something other than a Triceratops? 

 

Marc

[Troodon]

On the ceratopsian front it could be a Torosaurus.  You don't have a lot there and the central regions of vertebra can be similar.  The other big guy out there is the hadro Edmontosaurus

[LordTrilobite]

Definitely a dorsal vertebra. It does indeed show to similarities with Triceratops. Torosaurus is pretty rare, so Triceratops is more likely.

 

It's pretty small for A full grown Triceratops though. So if it's Ceratopsian it might be a subadult.