Theropod Claw Confirmation

[PaleoNoel]

And now my last fossil for the night, one of my favorite fossils in my collection ever is the theropod claw my dad found (I always give credit when he's the discoverer) in the Lance fm. of Wyoming the summer before last. It was identified by the guide as potentially being a Nanotyrannus hand claw but I wanted to confirm that with other members on TFF. It's about 2.5 cm in length.

 

 

[LordTrilobite]

Definitely a claw. And it does look like theropod. But since it's incomplete it'll be very hard to properly identify.

[hxmendoza]

Based on the good cross section photos, it’s an anterior portion of the tip of an Anzu wyliei foot claw. It’s not from a hand claw and not from a Nanotyrannus or Tyrannosaur. 

[Runner64]

4 hours ago, hxmendoza said:

Based on the good cross section photos, it’s an anterior portion of the tip of an Anzu wyliei foot claw. It’s not from a hand claw and not from a Nanotyrannus or Tyrannosaur. 

Hi Henry, could you explain what you were looking for in the cross section to see if it is Anzu?  Still trying to learn!

 

@PaleoNoel don't be discouraged, really any dinosaur claw is an extraordinary find and still a highlight from your trip I'm sure

[PaleoNoel]

4 hours ago, hxmendoza said:

Based on the good cross section photos, it’s an anterior portion of the tip of an Anzu wyliei foot claw. It’s not from a hand claw and not from a Nanotyrannus or Tyrannosaur. 

Thanks that helps!

[PaleoNoel]

5 minutes ago, Runner64 said:

Hi Henry, could you explain what you were looking for in the cross section to see if it is Anzu?  Still trying to learn!

 

@PaleoNoel don't be discouraged, really any dinosaur claw is an extraordinary find and still a highlight from your trip I'm sure

Oh absolutely, I think finding a claw of any kind can be a trip maker. This past summer's trip to Wyoming someone found a complete edmontosaurus ungual and I was rather jealous.

[Runner64]

36 minutes ago, PaleoNoel said:

Oh absolutely, I think finding a claw of any kind can be a trip maker. This past summer's trip to Wyoming someone found a complete edmontosaurus ungual and I was rather jealous.

I’m sure the ungial was nice, but to be frank, I’d rather have a partial Anzu claw  but that’s me though!

[PaleoNoel]

5 minutes ago, Runner64 said:

I’m sure the ungial was nice, but to be frank, I’d rather have a partial Anzu claw  but that’s me though!

Agreed, I feel like any theropod claw material is rather fleeting. Still super proud to have this in my collection.

[hxmendoza]

4 hours ago, Runner64 said:

Hi Henry, could you explain what you were looking for in the cross section to see if it is Anzu?  Still trying to learn!

 

@PaleoNoel don't be discouraged, really any dinosaur claw is an extraordinary find and still a highlight from your trip I'm sure

 

It’s really all about the experience. I’ve restored several of these Anzu foot claws and have handled quite a few. Along with several casts. After a while you just learn the traits. So it’s actually a bit complicated. 

All I can say is it’s the same cross section for that portion of the claw that I’ve seen before. 

And it does not match the cross section seen at that point in Tyrannosaur hand or foot claws. 

[hxmendoza]

I’ve managed to overlay your claw tip on to an Anzu foot claw accounting for very slight size difference and variation, you can see that they match up nicely.

[hxmendoza]

These two show the tip overplayed a little better either way. I think you can see they match up very well. 

[PaleoNoel]

4 minutes ago, hxmendoza said:

I’ve managed to overlay your claw tip on to an Anzu foot claw accounting for very slight size difference and variation, you can see that they match up nicely.

I see the similarity now, I believe my confusion probably stemmed from the belief that it was more complete and therefore closer to the base. I sometimes forget how big Anzu could get!