Big Ugly-NSR vert

[Jakuzi]

Found this vert on the North Sulphur River a week back.  Initially I thought it was a a large beat up Mosasaur vert then after looking at it again and some thoughts from another group I thought it was 2 plesiosaur verts fused.  But there is still some debate on this odd vert including it being suggested that it might be a turtle vert.  Thoughts?

 

thanks!

[Jakuzi]

The two openings pictured here were what I thought would nail it as plesiosaur but I was told they are on the wrong side. 

[LiamL]

Could be wrong, and i'm not sure about an ID, but could it be 3 articulated verts?

 

[facehugger]

Wow, that's an odd one. Not an expert, but I agree, 2 plesiosaur vests fused together seems like a solid bet. Very nice. 

[The Amateur Paleontologist]

1 hour ago, Jakuzi said:

The specimen seen from that particular angle really makes me think plesioaur (probably from the thoracic region...) - but that'd be cool  I don't often hear about NSR plesiosaur material!

-Christian

[Jakuzi]

14 hours ago, LiamL said:

Could be wrong, and i'm not sure about an ID, but could it be 3 articulated verts?

 

 

How I was looking at it.

[GPayton]

This reply's only two years late, but my best guess would be that they're two mosasaur terminal vertebrae fused together - terminal vertebrae being those located in the final section of the tail. They're always very thin and disc-like, similar to what you've got.The last picture shows four attachment points where chevrons would have been articulated, and the "channel" on top looks very similar to the broken neural arch I've got on some of the fused verts I've found in the river in the past.