HoppeHunting Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 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. 5 1 The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues! ~Hoppe hunting!~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 I’ve got a scute or two, I’ll post in a bit, however I have heard that “Scute” and “Osteoderm” are not synonymous. 1 “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoppeHunting Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 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. 1 The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues! ~Hoppe hunting!~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 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. 4 “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Nice idea! I'll have to find some of mine. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 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. 1 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoNoel Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 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. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miocene_Mason Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 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. “...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin Happy hunting, Mason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dracarys Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 my ankylosaurus scute! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoppeHunting Posted February 5, 2019 Author Share Posted February 5, 2019 34 minutes ago, Dracarys said: my ankylosaurus scute! Woah! That’s an incredible specimen. Did you find it or purchase it? The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues! ~Hoppe hunting!~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 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. Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesuslover340 Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 Here's a few Australian crocodile osteoderms: 5 "Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."-Romans 14:19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 Nice fossils, everyone! Here are a couple of Alligator mississipiensis scutes from the Pleistocene deposits of Ruskin, Florida. 6 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenJD Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 Here's a couple from the Aguja Formation of West Texas. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 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. 5 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Breakin' Rocks Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 My favorite and rare for the Savannah River. A Pampathere Osteoderm ... Holmesina sp. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoppeHunting Posted February 7, 2019 Author Share Posted February 7, 2019 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! 1 The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues! ~Hoppe hunting!~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoppeHunting Posted February 7, 2019 Author Share Posted February 7, 2019 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? The Hunt for the Hemipristine continues! ~Hoppe hunting!~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Breakin' Rocks Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 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 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted February 7, 2019 Share Posted February 7, 2019 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. 5 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 Bumpy little scutes are Helodermoides, in micro matrix form White River Formation , Oligocene Scenic , South Dakota. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Andy- Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 Here's my SuperCroc scute Sarcosuchus imperator 112 mya | early Cretaceous Elrhaz Formation Gadoufaoua, Ténéré Desert, Niger 2 Looking forward to meeting my fellow Singaporean collectors! Do PM me if you are a Singaporean, or an overseas fossil-collector coming here for a holiday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziggycardon Posted October 6, 2020 Share Posted October 6, 2020 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) 5 Interested in all things paleontology, geology, zoology, evolution, natural history and science! Professional exotic pet keeper, huge fantasy geek, explorer of the microfossil realm, member of the BVP (Belgian Association for Paleontology), Volunteer prepper at Oertijdmuseum Boxtel. View my collection topic here: The Growing Collection of Ziggycardon My animal collection at the "Members pet" topic Ziggycardon's exploration of the microfossil realm Trips to Eben Emael (Maastrichtian of Belgium) My latest fossil hunt Next project will be a dedicated prepping space. "A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." - Tyrion Lannister Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mioplosus_Lover24 Posted October 8, 2020 Share Posted October 8, 2020 Here's a partial scute from the Aguja Formation! No idea on the specifics but it's probably from a smaller species. 1 "Life is too complex for me to wrap my mind around, that's why I have fossils and not pets!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emilhg Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 Can this be a Scute? Found in the clay, with the "spikes" laying down!!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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