Cave bear tibia?

[D.N.FossilmanLithuania]

Dear Guys,

 

I found this 17 cm length bone fragment in the sand dune layers of Varena town, there was the building site where the sand was deeply mixed up with younger layers.

Judging by the shape, I think the most correct version should be bear (the tibial plateau is separated and not found). The last brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Lithuanian territory

was hunted in 1885 but the tibia is quite big and maybe there are more features that could differ from present bear that is known is the European and Russian forests.

Please help to confirm Ursidae family by this bone and if you are able, identify the species by size or other features.  

Any help will be appreciated! 

 

Best Regards

Domas

 

        

[Innocentx]

Does it appear to be thoroughly fossilized?

[D.N.FossilmanLithuania]

Dear Innocentx,

 

The bone has some features that show it sould be very old.

The first is that bone marrow walls have simplified contours and the bone material has became lime like. 

This feature is visible in all parts of bone, especially in cross sections of central cavity and canals in the articular part.

The sand in the building site where I found this bone was mixed up from deeper layers and it is known that the sand dunes in Varena district are formed in the last glaciation and some time after it. So, the age should be 10- 13 thousand years appreciating the fact that the earliest 25 thousand years old layers are at a great depth.

 

Best Regards

Domas  

[caldigger]

Fire Marshall Bill says:

JUST BURN IT!!!!

[D.N.FossilmanLithuania]

It is also known that forests appeared in Lithuania about 10 thousand years ago and the sand usually does not halfway when the mosses and trees are covered the earth surface. Judging by this, the newest sand layers are originally formed about 10 or at least 8-9 thousand years.

I also have another find that I would like to show- the piece of tusk that has straight growing trajectory, narrow hole in the center and quite thick bone layer. It is 9,5 cm length.

I would think it belongs to juvenile mammoth...     

[Innocentx]

30 minutes ago, caldigger said:

Fire Marshall Bill says:

JUST BURN IT!!!!

 

How on earth does he get his face to do this?

As an ancient mother may have said,  

"Be careful or your face will fossilize that way."

[caldigger]

Apparently, he didn't like doing this because it hurt him to have to hold this pose for the length of time it took to get the scenes right for the show.

He even poked fun of himself doing facial expressions in the movie "Liar, Liar."

[abyssunder]

2 hours ago, D.N.FossilmanLithuania said:

I also have another find that I would like to show- the piece of tusk that has straight growing trajectory, narrow hole in the center and quite thick bone layer. It is 9,5 cm length.

I would think it belongs to juvenile mammoth...     

If you make a transverse section and you see the Schreger pattern, than it's a proboscidean tusk.

[D.N.FossilmanLithuania]

Dear abyssunder yes, I will try to make the cross section of it.

But talking about tibia- do you confirm it belongs to bear?? 

I very need your opinions...

 

Best Regards

Domas

[abyssunder]

It might be a partial bear tibia, but I can't confirm that it's a cave bear tibia.