Pleistocene Horse Question

[JarrodB]

I know very little on Pleistocene fossils but I always thought the horses that roamed during the Ice Age were much smaller than the modern ones. I found this large solid rock horse cannon bone fossil at the North Sulphur River Texas which is comparable in size to the modern day ones I find. I'm 100 % sure it's a fossil. Sorry I can't take measurements but I'm offshore working. Lol you can use my 6 yr old grandson for scale. 

[Fruitbat]

Actually...during the Pleistocene in the North Texas area, there were likely at least four different kinds of horses running around including at least one of the 'stilt-legged' types with long-slender legs, at least one 'standard' horse-type critter, and one very large 'draught horse' type. Unfortunately, horse taxonomy is still in a bit of a muddle because many of the species were originally describe on the basis of isolated teeth which are very variable to say the least!

 

-Joe

[doushantuo]

some of youmay findthisuseful

"immediate edit": I like it on sight alone

alternatively:

5705217.pdf

[JarrodB]

1 hour ago, Fruitbat said:

Actually...during the Pleistocene in the North Texas area, there were likely at least four different kinds of horses running around including at least one of the 'stilt-legged' types with long-slender legs, at least one 'standard' horse-type critter, and one very large 'draught horse' type. Unfortunately, horse taxonomy is still in a bit of a muddle because many of the species were originally describe on the basis of isolated teeth which are very variable to say the least!

 

-Joe

Thanks Joe. 

[Fruitbat]

A pleasure!  Perissodactyls (including horses) have always been my favorites!

 

-Joe

[JarrodB]

12 minutes ago, Fruitbat said:

A pleasure!  Perissodactyls (including horses) have always been my favorites!

 

-Joe

I normally just find fossil horse teeth so hopefully my new creek will produce more Plesitocene finds. My friend found a large section of elk horn from the same creek. 

[Fruitbat]

Horses and tapirs (exceptionally rarely) are the only perissodactyls you're likely to find in any of the NSR Pleistocene sediments. Artiodactyls (bison, deer, muskox, etc.) are a bit more common.

 

-Joe

[jpevahouse]

Most of the Sulfur River fossil hunting videos I've watched on the internet collectors find Cretaceous era fossils much earlier than horses. In my collection I have a few early horse fossils found along the Brazos River Texas from the Pliocene or late Miocene eras. There's a common saying in these parts "If it's too good to be true, it probably is." which means in your case the  bone would be exceptional condition if it were Pleistocene, too good to be true considering the usual fragmented, weather worn condition a fossil that old would be found in.

Without having seen the bone in person my guess is fairly modern and weather worn.

[JarrodB]

49 minutes ago, jpevahouse said:

Most of the Sulfur River fossil hunting videos I've watched on the internet collectors find Cretaceous era fossils much earlier than horses. In my collection I have a few early horse fossils found along the Brazos River Texas from the Pliocene or late Miocene eras. There's a common saying in these parts "If it's too good to be true, it probably is." which means in your case the  bone would be exceptional condition if it were Pleistocene, too good to be true considering the usual fragmented, weather worn condition a fossil that old would be found in.

Without having seen the bone in person my guess is fairly modern and weather worn.

Negative but thanks. Its solid rock. Lots of Pleistocene in this particular NSR creek. My friend even found an elk horn. NSR has a variety of Pleistocene and Cretaceous fossils.

[jpevahouse]

Haven't had the privilege of fossil hunting on the Sulfur River only watching Youtube videos of other collectors hunting there usually finding sharks teeth and exogyra or an occasional mosasaur tooth . Also Indian relics, modern trash and interesting stones. I guess just about anything can show up in the Sulfur River if ya look hard enough.

[KimTexan]

There is definitely Pleistocene material there. Check out @Foshunter ‘s gallery on here. He has some nice Pleistocene stuff from the NSR area.

 

 

[Uncle Siphuncle]

The Pleistocene horse teeth I've picked up all over Texas are comparable in size to those in the extant horse skull sitting in my back yard.  Some are quite large.  Miocene and Pliocene horses were smaller than Pleistocene counterparts, based on the material I've found throughout those ages in TX.