Eagle Ford Possible Bone Fragment

[LSCHNELLE]

Please help my wife ID this possible bone fragment she found.  It is symmetrical and it appears to be part of a skeletal bone that broke off at matrix rock's edge. The formation is Eagle Ford Lower Bouldin Flags shell hash layer. Found with small Ptychodus occidentalis and P. decurrens and multiple regular shark's teeth and some other smaller bone frags. Dimensions are 54 mm long by 38 mm tall and 16 mm wide at fracture tapering to ~1 mm wide. It is reportedly in the same layer that a 4" Tylosaurus tooth was found by another collector years ago - which does not match the biostratigraphic record. 

[ynot]

Part of a vertebra process, I doubt there is any detail to go beyond that.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Nice bit of bone, but difficult to know from what. 

[LSCHNELLE]

Thanks "ynot" & "Tidgy's Dad". We expected as much. You verified it was a vertebra fragment.  Last question: What explains two different experts identifying a Tylosaurus tooth from middle Eagle Ford when it supposedly did not exist at that time?  Any other similar teeth that could be 4" length with root in early Turonian? See pic. 

[ynot]

1 hour ago, LSCHNELLE said:

What explains two different experts identifying a Tylosaurus tooth from middle Eagle Ford when it supposedly did not exist at that time? 

Anyone can make mistakes.

[LSCHNELLE]

Any ideas on the tooth that would explain the fossil find?  Or, someone who might know the answer? Plesiosaur? Dinosaur? 

[ynot]

2 minutes ago, LSCHNELLE said:

Any ideas on the tooth that would explain the fossil find?  Or, someone who might know the answer? Plesiosaur? Dinosaur? 

There are some on TFF that will know. Give it a few days to see what input You get.

Good luck!

Tony

PS It would help to have pictures from multiple angles and a scale.

[M Harvey]

The bone looks like a turtle peripheral scute.  Can you submit a photo of the bottom side?

[LSCHNELLE]

Bottom side view shows apparently fractured rock face weathered by rainfall. Here is "bottom" side pic with scale. I gave full dimensions in first post. 

[Anomotodon]

4 hours ago, LSCHNELLE said:

Thanks "ynot" & "Tidgy's Dad". We expected as much. You verified it was a vertebra fragment.  Last question: What explains two different experts identifying a Tylosaurus tooth from middle Eagle Ford when it supposedly did not exist at that time?  Any other similar teeth that could be 4" length with root in early Turonian? See pic. 

 

I think it is a pliosaur (Brachauchenius?). They are known from Turonian. I have found very similar teeth of the Cenomanian Polyptychodon. Pliosaur teeth usually have massive crowns, very strong striations and no carinae. Also root doesn't look like a mosasaur.

Here is a Brachauchenius jaw from the internet.

[LSCHNELLE]

Looks like a good possibility.  Thanks! 

[LSCHNELLE]

The guy who found the tooth admits that he may be remembering the genus name incorrectly.  I think the vertebra fragment may be related to the Brachauchenius tooth.  We plan to rehunt for the remainder of the vertebra bone to get a better ID.  With the right conditions, it may still be present in an adjoining bedrock layer that fractured away from the primary subject ID fossil.

[bone2stone]

16 hours ago, LSCHNELLE said:

The guy who found the tooth admits that he may be remembering the genus name incorrectly.  I think the vertebra fragment may be related to the Brachauchenius tooth.  We plan to rehunt for the remainder of the vertebra bone to get a better ID.  With the right conditions, it may still be present in an adjoining bedrock layer that fractured away from the primary subject ID fossil.

 

It may be doubtful that much more if any of the bone material you found will be recovered.

It appears to have some predation damage.

It may be very wildly scattered in that event.

That Cigar box is fossilized "@ 6cents" boy that box is one oldie goldie.

[LSCHNELLE]

On 11/29/2017 at 3:39 AM, bone2stone said:

 

It may be doubtful that much more if any of the bone material you found will be recovered.

It appears to have some predation damage.

It may be very wildly scattered in that event.

That Cigar box is fossilized "@ 6cents" boy that box is one oldie goldie.

We were unable to find any other bone fragments in nearby bedrock or loose boulders. Although, we gave it extra effort. 

[fossilized6s]

Honestly as rare as it may be, it may be worth while to look into a possible pterosaur skull fragment ("beak" or crest). I would contact Tim Myers at SMU in Dallas just to be sure.