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Old Bison Horns?


Tyler Matters

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I'm not sure, but I found what I think is the top of a bison skull with the horns. I found it in central Iowa, sitting on a sand bank in the middle of a river/creek. Could someone tell me if it is? The horns are kind of straighter like an ancient bison, could someone estimate the age and tell me if they think it is? The horn spread is just over 21 inches. It seems pretty old and almost fossilized. Thanks for any help in figuring it out. I'm really interested in what you have to say.

IMG_20180930_080518.jpg

IMG_20181001_091819.jpg

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could you post some pics of the skull on a contrasting background...it kind of blends into your chair.

 

Everything is generated through your own will power ~ Ray Bradbury
 

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for a comparison, here is a skull from bisonfossils.com.  

Interestingly this is a replica of a 12,000 year old skull from Orcas Island in the Pacific Northwest :)

 

bison_antiquus_skull_bc-313.jpg

Everything is generated through your own will power ~ Ray Bradbury
 

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bison_comparison_2.gif

"An adult bison antiquis skull is a lot larger than modern bison. They are typically 33 to 37 inches from horn tip to horn tip. Females would be smaller. Typically 32 inches +."  bisonfossils.com

Everything is generated through your own will power ~ Ray Bradbury
 

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here is an older thread you might find informative.  As a matter of fact, there are several threads dealing with bison skulls if you would like to search for them.

I think Ynot has it right, but others will chime in to confirm, I'm sure, so check back often. :)

 

 

Everything is generated through your own will power ~ Ray Bradbury
 

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For comparison, here is one of my Bison bison skull caps in the foreground, and my Bison latifrons skull in the background.  The latter is about 5 feet tip to tip.  Tips are worn, and would have contributed enough to take that span to 6-6.5 feet along the curve if still present.  But no complaints.  Sometimes I daydream what it would be like to have this behemoth standing alive in my living room...."bull in a fossil shop"...

 

Edit:  The lone horn core on the fireplace hearth is B. antiquus, rounding out my triumvirate of Texas ruminant headgear.

Qt Bison latifrons 1x Site 414c 091217.PNG

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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I've been close enough to a modern buffalo to touch him and I felt like i was standing next to an elephant. I can only imagine what it would be like standing next to your bison. :drool:

Everything is generated through your own will power ~ Ray Bradbury
 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here is what a professor at University of Iowa sent me: 

Matt Hill, who knows bison better than I do, says that it is a late Holocene (<4000 years old) modern form of Bison bison.

Nice specimen.Jim

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7 minutes ago, Tyler Matters said:

Here is what a professor at University of Iowa sent me: 

Matt Hill, who knows bison better than I do, says that it is a late Holocene (<4000 years old) modern form of Bison bison.

Nice specimen.Jim

Nice find!  Curious though that the horns in all the other specimens curve up and yours curve down.... of course, if they are anything like cow horns they can go all over the place.  

Everything is generated through your own will power ~ Ray Bradbury
 

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Idk, but I did find this. It shows that the ones in-between the two types of bison, the intermediate ones, have ones that curve like mine in the diagram. Maybe a transitional thing? It's only a guess.

PNAS-1998-Nov-9524-14576-83-Figure-4.jpg

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