Shellseeker Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 Great day, hunting with a friend, warm, sunny. Did not even need a wetsuit. and then unknowns!! I love unknowns because it gives me a chance to learn and study thesenewly acquired fossils. First a tooth found by my hunting buddy. I have no clue what this is.. Next a medial phalanx.. almost 2 inches.. and finally a vertebral process.. I once found a Mammoth process almost 14 inches... this one is not that large... In the same hole, I found a 3 inch Sloth Proximal Phalanx... Lots of bones today.... As always, identifications, suggestions, and comments are greatly appreciated. Shellseeker The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 The tooth looks like half a rear molar from a tapir. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted February 19, 2018 Author Share Posted February 19, 2018 13 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said: The tooth looks like half a rear molar from a tapir. You are likely correct. I is the round wear pattern that throws me off... I am much more used to oblong wear patterns... It might be a different , earlier tapir species.. The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted February 19, 2018 Author Share Posted February 19, 2018 On bone #3, that I called a Vertebral process, it is actually a "neural spine" or spinous process or spinal process. It occurs in horses, marine mammals and as far as I know in most mammals. 2 examples.... straight up off the backbone... not going to be easy to identify the specific mammal... I'll keep searching. Quote Tall neural spines are present in lots of different animals, and can serve a variety of functions including display and supporting fat bodies. They’re pretty much always present in land mammals like horses that have large, heavy heads. Horses spend the vast majority of their time in a posture like the one in the image above; head to the ground, eating. It’s hard to keep balanced with that heavy head stuck out like that, and ligaments that run along the neural spines transfer much of the load throughout the vertebral column. The neural spines also serve as attachment points for muscles that move and support the head, neck, and shoulders. https://valleyofthemastodon.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/fossil-friday-horse-thoracic-vertebrae/ The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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