Ancient Bison Skull Identification

[Appel]

Found this while hunting dinasur bones in Montana. Hell Creek formation very visible around the find and we usually recover dinosaur bones but this was odd.  Want to know what kind of bison and how old it is. 

[MrBones]

Do they feel like stone? Is it still soft (I check by biting part of the bone).

[JohnJ]

36 minutes ago, MrBones said:

Do they feel like stone? Is it still soft (I check by biting part of the bone).

 

Softness is not a good indicator of age.  I have seen many mammoth bones that you could easily dent with your fingernail. 

[MrBones]

Maby he should try the red hot needle technique?

[JohnJ]

10 minutes ago, MrBones said:

red hot needle technique

 

This is an old 'paleo myth' that does not have a practical application to old bones.  The principle is to heat up any residual collagen to a temperature that can be detected by smell.  It takes a significantly greater heat source than a needle to accomplish this...like a large match, a lighter, or torch.  

[Auspex]

I'd feel better about it being Bison if the horn cores pointed more forward.

Look on the molars for an isolated stylid.

[MrBones]

20 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

 

This is an old 'paleo myth' that does not have a practical application to old bones.  The principle is to heat up any residual collagen to a temperature that can be detected by smell.  It takes a significantly greater heat source than a needle to accomplish this...like a large match, a lighter, or torch.  

Well now I know! Thank you.

[ynot]

Looks like an old cow skull to Me. 

 

1 hour ago, MrBones said:

(I check by biting part of the bone).

Not a really good idea, many old bones can have all sorts of nasty little things in them (germs, bacteria, molds etc.).

[Uncle Siphuncle]

With the broad forehead and stout, stubby horn core, my first guess is Bison bison.  BTW is the attached horn core complete to the tip, or partially eroded off?  If that ID holds up, it could be a couple hundred to 10k years old.

[Nodak]

This is 100% bison skull. As a western North Dakota resident, ive got a dozen myself,  It's a fairly common hobby here and in montana. Being able to distinguish a bison skull over a bovine "cow" skull is easy when you've seen enough of both. 

 

If you are asking if it's from the time of the hell creek formation, It's not. It just died in a area that had already been eroded away to the hell creek formation. Most of mine have been found in the bullion creek and sentinel butte formation areas but again they just died there. Otherwise that would make them 55 plus million years old. That would be like saying all the native artifacts and tipi rings found in those areas are that old. 

[Nodak]

Here's one of mine that is oddly similar to yours. The entire skeleton was there. The atlas vertebrae amd throatic vertebrae can also be a dead giveaway when it comes to identification between a bison and modern cattle.