Please help to confirm Cave lion antherothoracic vertebrae from Lithuania

[D.N.FossilmanLithuania]

Dear Guys,

 

Few days ago I found this thoracic vertebrae of quite big carnivorous mammal, it is 6 cm length with spineand has some very interesting relief features. 

The bone was found in Varena town, South Lithuania. There are some building sites where the sand of latest ice age dunes is deeply mixed up. 

By me this vertebra looks very similar to big felid like cave lion because I checked one publication with bones of Anyui lion.

If you see the same features of lion vertebra here, please help with confirmation of this interesting find.

 

Best Regards

Domas   

[Max-fossils]

Numbers 6 and 7 look quite similar, so yours could possibly be a cave lion vertebra. If it is indeed that, fantastic find!!!

 

Did you try doing the flame test though? Because it looks to me as though it might be modern...

 

@Harry Pristis will likely be able to help you on this one. 

[D.N.FossilmanLithuania]

Dear Max- fossils,

I did the flame test! 

There was no sound when the bone started to burn, and no any other smell except the smell like old burning tree. 

No any organic smell, the place which was in flame slightly curled up and small area became black in color but the bone canals retained the original forms.

 

So maybe young fossil 10+ thousand years?

 

Best Regards

Domas

[D.N.FossilmanLithuania]

Dear Guys,

 

I noticed one subject about this vertebrae- it is too small to cave lion (in the publication about Anyui lion the scale of 5 cm is showed and these vertebral bones are up to 10 cm length, my fossil find is only 6 cm) so I have another version that could be more possible- maybe giant cheetah Acinonyx pardinensis? Its vertebral bones are smaller, about 7-8 cm in adult specimen and I think this vertebra in my collection should not belong to bobcat, it is rather cheetah.

Please help to confirm this identification if you are familiar with felids...

 

Best Regards

Domas

 

Here is the link in giant cheetah bones:

https://chasingsabretooths.wordpress.com/2016/12/16/sprint-of-the-giant-cheetah/    

[WhodamanHD]

5 hours ago, D.N.FossilmanLithuania said:

There was no sound when the bone started to burn, and no any other smell except the smell like old burning tree. 

Could be modern or a subfossil then, my moneys on modern sorry to say but wait for Harry.