Show us your Scutes!

[HoppeHunting]

Scutes are thickened bony dermal plates that can be found on turtles, crocodiles, birds, and many other animals. Because they are made of hard material, they are more likely to fossilize and remain preserved for millions of years. My personal fossil collection, which consists of an estimated 7,000-8,000 specimens, contains only a few scutes, which leads me to believe they are a rather uncommon find. Of course, this could very well only be the case with the geologic formations that I have collected from. Perhaps scutes are plentiful at other fossil sites around the world. I will include a few examples of the scutes from my collection. I encourage any members who have scutes in their collections to share pictures and details on their animal of origin, location at which they were collected, and size. Hopefully we'll all get to see some incredible specimen and collectively obtain a better understanding of scutes! Thanks in advance to all who will share!

 

Pictured, in order:

Crocodile scute, Calvert Formation, ~1 in.

Ray scute, Calvert Formation, 3/4 in.

Ray scute, Calvert Formation, 1/2 in.

Boxfish scute, Aquia Formation, 3/4 in.

[WhodamanHD]

I’ve got a scute or two, I’ll post in a bit, however I have heard that “Scute” and “Osteoderm” are not synonymous. 

[HoppeHunting]

3 minutes ago, WhodamanHD said:

“Scute” and “Osteoderm” are not synonymous

Right you are! We can include both scutes and osteoderms in this thread. Both are welcome! Thanks Mason.

[WhodamanHD]

1 minute ago, HoppeHunting said:

Right you are! We can include both scutes and osteoderms in this thread. Both are welcome! Thanks Mason.

Sounds good

Here’s two partial osteoderms from the Cretaceous Aguja FM of Texas. I found them in Matrix. Only described crocodilians from the formation are Deinosuchus sp. and Goniopholis sp.

and Goniopholis has since been proved to have gone extinct much earlier and is now restricted to the old world. Sooo chances are these scutes are from some undescribed beast (perhaps goniopholid or otherwise) or, less likely, Deinosuchus. Both are a little under an inch.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Nice idea!

I'll have to find some of mine. 

[LordTrilobite]

42 minutes ago, WhodamanHD said:

I’ve got a scute or two, I’ll post in a bit, however I have heard that “Scute” and “Osteoderm” are not synonymous. 

I haven't looked this up but as I understand it a "scute" is basically an armour plate with a subdermal bone. And an "osteoderm" is any subdermal bone. Stegosaurus for example has little bones in it's throat that creates a sort of chain mail. But I don't think those could be called scutes.

[PaleoNoel]

Here are a couple of in situ shots of croc osteoderms I found last summer in the Lance fm. of Wyoming. Probably Borealosuchus or Brachychampsa.

 

 

[WhodamanHD]

3 hours ago, LordTrilobite said:

I haven't looked this up but as I understand it a "scute" is basically an armour plate with a subdermal bone. And an "osteoderm" is any subdermal bone. Stegosaurus for example has little bones in it's throat that creates a sort of chain mail. But I don't think those could be called scutes.

Yeah, I’ve been told scutes typically have a keratin layer around them but I could have been told wrong.

[Dracarys]

my ankylosaurus scute!

[HoppeHunting]

34 minutes ago, Dracarys said:

my ankylosaurus scute!

Woah! That’s an incredible specimen. Did you find it or purchase it?

[LordTrilobite]

4 hours ago, WhodamanHD said:

Yeah, I’ve been told scutes typically have a keratin layer around them but I could have been told wrong.

I think you might be right there as well.

[Jesuslover340]

Here's a few Australian crocodile osteoderms:

[Tidgy's Dad]

Nice fossils, everyone! 

Here are a couple of Alligator mississipiensis scutes from the Pleistocene deposits of Ruskin, Florida.

 

[StevenJD]

Here's a couple from the Aguja Formation of West Texas. 

[Harry Pristis]

On ‎2‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 6:12 PM, HoppeHunting said:

Scutes are thickened bony dermal plates that can be found on turtles, crocodiles, birds, and many other animals. Because they are made of hard material, they are more likely to fossilize and remain preserved for millions of years. My personal fossil collection, which consists of an estimated 7,000-8,000 specimens, contains only a few scutes, which leads me to believe they are a rather uncommon find. Of course, this could very well only be the case with the geologic formations that I have collected from. Perhaps scutes are plentiful at other fossil sites around the world. I will include a few examples of the scutes from my collection. I encourage any members who have scutes in their collections to share pictures and details on their animal of origin, location at which they were collected, and size. Hopefully we'll all get to see some incredible specimen and collectively obtain a better understanding of scutes! Thanks in advance to all who will share!

 

Pictured, in order:

Crocodile scute, Calvert Formation, ~1 in.

Ray scute, Calvert Formation, 3/4 in.

Ray scute, Calvert Formation, 1/2 in.

Boxfish scute, Aquia Formation, 3/4 in.

 

In order, you have a crocodilian osteoderm;

a ray dermal denticle;

a ray dermal denticle; and

a fish pharyngeal grinding mill.

You have NO scutes in your collection of fossils because scutes are thin keratinous shells (like fingernail material) -- which cover some exposed bones like crocodilian armor (osteoderms) or turtle shells -- that do not preserve as fossils.

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

My favorite and rare for the Savannah River.  A Pampathere Osteoderm  ... Holmesina sp.

 

[HoppeHunting]

1 hour ago, Harry Pristis said:

You have NO scutes in your collection of fossils because scutes are thin keratinous shells (like fingernail material) -- which cover some exposed bones like crocodilian armor (osteoderms) or turtle shells -- that do not preserve as fossils.

My apologies. I'm still an amateur when it comes to identifying some fossils, especially bones. Thank you for the corrections!

[HoppeHunting]

20 minutes ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said:

My favorite and rare for the Savannah River.  A Pampathere Osteoderm  ... Holmesina sp.

Woah! What time period is that from, and how'd you find it?

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

2 minutes ago, HoppeHunting said:

Woah! What time period is that from, and how'd you find it?

No date specific since theses are dredge deposits along the river .. these large Armadillo-esque creatures died out in the Pleistocene. So Pliocene - Pleistocene (?) age most likely.  It's all a big jumble out there. The fossils there are washed out from the banks and are sorted out of the sand to be swallowed up by the river again ... or in this case snatched up by a lucky fossil hunter.

 

 

Cheers,

Brett

[Harry Pristis]

Nice specimen, Brett, and nice presentation.  These giant armadillos are all Pleistocene in the Southeast.  The smaller Holmesina floridanum is Early Pleistocene, the larger H. septentrionalis is Late Pleistocene.  It can be difficult to distinguish between the two based on isolated elements.

 

[Bobby Rico]

Bumpy little scutes are Helodermoides, in micro matrix form White River Formation , Oligocene Scenic , South Dakota.

[-Andy-]

Here's my SuperCroc scute

Sarcosuchus imperator

112 mya | early Cretaceous

Elrhaz Formation

Gadoufaoua, Ténéré Desert, Niger

[ziggycardon]

Cool topic, can't believe I didn't come across it earlier!  

Here are some of osteoderms, scutes & denticles.

 

A Crocodile osteoderm found in the Khouribga phosphate mines in Morocco (Paleocene)

 

A Stegosaurus gular armor found in the Morrison Formation, Moffat County, Colorado, USA (Jurassic, 156 - 147 mya)

 

The bottom left specimen is an Eryops osteoderm found in the Wellington garbar complex, Waurika, Okhlahoma, USA (Permian, 299 - 278 mya)

 

A Bernissartia osteoderm found in the Wealden of Sussex, Bexhill, UK (Cretaceous, 139 - 132 mya)

 

An Aetosaur osteoderm found in the Bull Canyon Formation, Quay County, New Mexico, USA (Triassic, 227 - 208 mya)

 

A Glyptodon osteoderm found in Northern Florida, USA (Pleistocene)

 

A Holmesina septentrionalis osteoderm found in the St Mark's River, Florida, USA (Pleistocene)

 

A box turtle shell found in the Aucilla River, Florida, USA (Pleistocene)

 

Borealosuchus osteoderms found in the Hell Creek Formation, Carter County, Montana, USA (Cretaceous, 66 mya)

 

Trionychid & Baenid turtle shell fragments found in the Hell Creek Formatie, Carter County, Montana, USA (Cretaceous, 66 mya)

[Mioplosus_Lover24]

Here's a partial scute from the Aguja Formation! No idea on the specifics but it's probably from a smaller species. 

[Emilhg]

Can this be a Scute? 

 

Found in the clay, with the "spikes" laying down!!?