Some Judith River IDs

[PaleoNoel]

Here are some small fossils I found back in the summer of 2017 in Montana up in the Judith River Formation. 

 

1. Small reptile vertebra? (.5 cm)

  

 

2. Assorted tiny bones several of which are likely from birds. 

 

2a. Hollow at the broken end (about .8 cm).

 

2b. Hollow at both ends (1.2 cm).

 

2c. Hollow at both ends as well, looks like limb bone. (1.5 cm).

 

 

2d. Appears to be hollow on both ends (.7 cm).

 

[PaleoNoel]

2e. This bone is porous but not hollow and is more fragmentary than these others (.5 cm).

 

3. Odd pattern on this piece, originally thought this was softshell turtle, however the pattern doesn't match and is convex rather than concave. (now i'm hoping its mummified dinosaur skin but it's unlikely).

 

 

4. Fish vertebrae (the one on the right looks like shark). (Left is .7 cm in diameter, right is .5cm).

[ynot]

Nice finds.

Most have lost the diagnostic features that could lead to an identification.

Wonder if 3 is maybe fish bits.

[Ludwigia]

@Auspex ?

[Troodon]

1. looks like a Champsosaurus vertebra 

3 What I can say not skin. Lean toward turtle

4. Can we see a photo of the sides, right could be shark and left amiid fish like bowfin

[LordTrilobite]

3 looks like cartilage to me.

[Auspex]

Judith river birds are not well known nor documented. Not even Avisaurus is recorded.
To pursue these as possible avian bone fragments, we first must gauge how thin-walled they are (we need "extremely thin-walled", not merely hollow).
The visible external morphologies alone are not diagnostic; indeed many characteristics are shared between avian- and non-avian theropods.

Can you please give us a scaled end-on look at the broken ends?

[PaleoNoel]

7 hours ago, Troodon said:

1. looks like a Champsosaurus vertebra 

3 What I can say not skin. Lean toward turtle

4. Can we see a photo of the sides, right could be shark and left amiid fish like bowfin

Left-

 

 

Right-