Desert_survivor Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Hi Everyone! I found this today digging in an outcropping of the San Mateo formation in Oceanside, California. I have found horse teeth at this site before. Not sure about this one, but I am wondering if it could be a hoof? Any thoughts are greatly appreciated! Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Just looks geologic to me, I'm afraid. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert_survivor Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 I considered it might be a provocatively shaped rock, but the porous nature of one side is reminiscent of bone. Plus, it just doesn't look or feel like the other rocks from the site. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeschWhat Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 The shape reminds me of a whale ear bone, but I don't know if they are porous like yours. Best wait for the experts! 4 Lori www.areallycrappystory.com/fossils www.facebook.com/fossilpoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peat Burns Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 46 minutes ago, GeschWhat said: The shape reminds me of a whale ear bone, but I don't know if they are porous like yours. Best wait for the experts! +1 for possible whale bulla 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert_survivor Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 Great thought! I looked at photos of whale bullae and it looks like a good fit. This is an interesting site because it produces marine and terrestrial fossils (depending on the layer), so it could definitely be whale. Thanks for the thoughts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Yes, I would be very happy to be completely wrong, hope it is a whale bulla. It looks like it, now. 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vieira Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 It looks like a cetacean ear bone to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteseer Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 Yeah, I think you can get a mix of terrestrial and marine fossils in the lower and upper part of the San Mateo. It's mostly marine in the upper part but I've seen horse teeth from it as well (Dinohippus). Some of the fossils are pretty beat-up from postmortem wear so only the more sturdy remains tend to survive in recognizable condition. That does look like a bumped-around bulla and it's dolphin-sized (dolphin as in an early species of a modern genus like Stenella). I've seen some pretty well-preserved dolphin petrosals (periotics) from the layer as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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