Welsh Wizard Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 Hi im in the middle of prepping this dinosaur vertebrae and I’d appreciate help with ID. Its from the early Cretaceous of the Isle of Wight. The neural spine is with the vertebrae but has become broken and lies underneath the vertebrae as well Thanks Nick 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welsh Wizard Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 Some prep done and a scale to show size: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welsh Wizard Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 More images of the vert: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welsh Wizard Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 Part prepped end view Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welsh Wizard Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 This is is the end of the spine underneath the vert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike from North Queensland Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 Nice specimen not sure from what animal but the break looks recent, as in when specimen was removed from the ground so I would say it is the end of a neural arch from an associated vertebra. There must be more of the specimen there. The other section of neural arch could be part of your vertebra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welsh Wizard Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 Thanks Mike the long spine attaches directly to the bit that’s attached to the vert. I’m going to separate them and then reattach. It’ll take awhile. You can see how long the spine should be. N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welsh Wizard Posted October 15, 2019 Author Share Posted October 15, 2019 After lots of fiddling and then a whack with a hammer. Broken spine end removed from vert in one piece. Any suggestions? I’m now thinking possible spinosaur? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Maybe @Troodon or @LordTrilobite could help. Interesting find btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Attached image of a Dorsal from an Iguanodon for comparison 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Are you sure these are from the same vertebra? If you are, then I would agree that Spinosaurid would be a possibility. The centrum looks like it's either dorsal or anterior caudal. Though it's hard to tell from these photos. The spine if it's not associated looks like it could come from an Iguanodont, either dorsal or anterior caudal. 1 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welsh Wizard Posted October 15, 2019 Author Share Posted October 15, 2019 Hi Thanks for the replies. They were attached in the same matrix but the spine was snapped. I’ve taken it out and I’m in the middle of prepping. The vert looks like this underneath. I did think iguanodon at first but the spine seems too long and the vert looks theropoddy but still not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welsh Wizard Posted October 16, 2019 Author Share Posted October 16, 2019 I don’t know if you can see but I’ve managed to remove a small section of bone that was attached to the spine. This was where the spine had bent prior to fossilisation and snapped during extraction. It fits nicely in the gap. Now the slow job of grinding down the matrix begins as the bone doesn’t like vibration. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welsh Wizard Posted October 26, 2019 Author Share Posted October 26, 2019 Attached one broken bit to another and cleaned of the matrix. Not a million miles of being able to attach all of the spine together. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welsh Wizard Posted October 26, 2019 Author Share Posted October 26, 2019 I’ve got an identification from the Isle of Wight. Juvenile Mantellisaurus caudal vertebrae. @Troodon and @LordTrilobite. Thanks for the suggestions. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welsh Wizard Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 Hi Im going to join the two spine pieces together. I’ve bought this Apoxie Sculpt. Does it just fill gaps or will it act like a glue and provide support as the gap between the bits is too wide to glue. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flx Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 I use apoxy a lot for dino fossils and it works very well. You can use apoxy like modeling clay which means there is no problem with large gaps. Important: Make sure you mix the two components well before using it. Otherwise it will not harden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 2 hours ago, Welsh Wizard said: Hi Im going to join the two spine pieces together. I’ve bought this Apoxie Sculpt. Does it just fill gaps or will it act like a glue and provide support as the gap between the bits is too wide to glue. Thanks I personally use magic sculpt but as far as I know this stuff is pretty similar. You'll probably need quite a lot since most of the neural arch is missing. You might want to make a metal armature first since there is so much to be reconstructed. Otherwise you'll likely have issues with sagging. I'd build this in stages, build a part, let it harden, and then build another part. 1 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welsh Wizard Posted November 9, 2019 Author Share Posted November 9, 2019 49 minutes ago, LordTrilobite said: I personally use magic sculpt but as far as I know this stuff is pretty similar. You'll probably need quite a lot since most of the neural arch is missing. You might want to make a metal armature first since there is so much to be reconstructed. Otherwise you'll likely have issues with sagging. I'd build this in stages, build a part, let it harden, and then build another part. Thanks im not going to rebuild the neural arch. Just repair the spine and make a metal support stand that will hold the vert and spine but will have a space where the arch was. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordTrilobite Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 16 minutes ago, Welsh Wizard said: Thanks im not going to rebuild the neural arch. Just repair the spine and make a metal support stand that will hold the vert and spine but will have a space where the arch was. Ah okay, yeah that's probably better. Otherwise there would be a lot of reconstruction work and more interpretation. 1 Olof Moleman AKA Lord Trilobite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trilo Posted November 13, 2019 Share Posted November 13, 2019 That Apoxy Sculp is perfect and the right stuff for that job. As mentioned you have to mix it first - a bit through the fingers like chewing gum. Please show some more pics after the job is done. good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welsh Wizard Posted November 17, 2019 Author Share Posted November 17, 2019 Some progress with the Apoxie Sculpt. I was a bit nervous to begin with but it’s really easy to use. The spine is 13 inches long but it would’ve been longer with the neural arch attached. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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