La Brea Tar Pits Bone Fragment

[BigJim2500]

Here’s an interesting one. I docent at the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, and while I was talking to some visitors one of them gave me a piece of bone fragment his father found (among many other easier to identify pieces) at the tar pits before the museum was created. I have showed to some of the researchers at la Brea, and their guess was that it was a tibia fragment from some mammal. So far based on my own comparisons, it seems closest to a dire wolf, but if anyone else has any other ideas, I’d love to hear them.

 

Thanks!

[BigJim2500]

[BigJim2500]

Quick addendum: the hollowness might seem indicative of bird, but according to the la Brea researchers, the walls are to thick, and so are probably just from decay.

[siteseer]

I don't think you're going to be able to identify that bone piece to even family level.  You really need a decent bone end to do that.

[Max-fossils]

I'm with Jess on this one, you're probably not gonna be able to ID this piece. It doesn't have either of the ends, so we can't even see what kind of articulation it would have, making it really hard to both determine position and species. Just keep it as Mammalia indet. I would say.