Shellseeker Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Here in Florida, we have come out of the rainy or hurricane season. During the flood stage many of the fossils were tumbled around. Some of the locations which used to have gravel and fossils now only have sand and vice versa. Last week I was digging in a location that was generally sparse in total fossils possibly indicating previous digging, and the few fossils I was finding were marine fossils (shark/ray teeth, whale bone, etc) and then but 2 mammal fossils showed up in the same sieve (my 1st full sieve). These two fossils were laying on top of the riverbed. One is a uncommon 3 inch sloth claw core. The other is unknown to me, but I find that there are true experts on this forum who might have seen this unknown 1.5 inch bone previously. Enjoy and thanks for all suggestions and comments. Did I mention that my fossil buddies call me Mr Lucky? SS The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Mr. Lucky? Seems to me that you, sir, make your own luck! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrehistoricFlorida Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 The phalanx is jaguar. Nice sloth claw. Great finds. Both are difficult to find Florida fossils! www.PrehistoricFlorida.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 Auspex, I appreciate the comment. It was low 50s overnight with high daytime temp of 70. There were occasional clouds and the water was above my waist. I did not have a lot of competition. PF Thanks for the ID. We are talking CAT. Having seen some of the other threads on jaguar vs panther vs smilidon, I realize that this one is slightly smaller than I represented. Just measured at 39 mm, slightly over 1 and a quarter inches. The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyc Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Love that sloth claw! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrehistoricFlorida Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 Auspex, I appreciate the comment. It was low 50s overnight with high daytime temp of 70. There were occasional clouds and the water was above my waist. I did not have a lot of competition. PF Thanks for the ID. We are talking CAT. Having seen some of the other threads on jaguar vs panther vs smilidon, I realize that this one is slightly smaller than I represented. Just measured at 39 mm, slightly over 1 and a quarter inches. Cat you post a picture of it next to a ruler? At 1.25" it's borderline between panther and jaguar. www.PrehistoricFlorida.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 Nate, Here is a photo with sizes. Is the primary differentiator size? Is this the proximal, medial, or distal bone? The "Bottom side" seems flatter than more comparison photos. The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrehistoricFlorida Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 (edited) This specimen is fairly robust, so I'd label it as jaguar, Panthera onca. The bone is a medial phalanx, this bone is located directly behind the claw. The reason it is offset a little bit is allow the claw to retract. Most post-cranial cat bones are morphologically very similar, the primary identifying factor is size. Edited November 9, 2012 by PrehistoricFlorida 1 www.PrehistoricFlorida.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 This is good stuff! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 My first impression was that this might be a turtle phalanx, but I'm confident that Nate is correct. My problem is that I don't have a big cat medial phalanx in my drawer . . . all I could find were proximal phalanges. You can see how the medial articulates with the proximal, totally unlike turtle toes. The grooved articulation provides strength and stability. 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...
Shellseeker Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 This is good stuff! Ditto. Thanks Nate and Harry. The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrehistoricFlorida Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 There's a Smilodon medial phalanx in this thread for comparison: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php/topic/13812-feline-fossils/ You can also see another Smilodon medial phalanx here: http://www.prehistoricflorida.com/product_info.php?products_id=2024 Here is a jaguar medial phalanx: http://www.prehistoricflorida.com/product_info.php?products_id=1950 www.PrehistoricFlorida.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemi-God Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 SS, those are some sweet finds. I'm glad to see your luck, (skill), is as good as always. Your finds, believe it or not, are one of the driving forces that get me up in the mornings and ready to get into that chilly water. I'm heading out there this morning. Leaving out of the Gardner area. Who knows, maybe we'll cross paths again this season. Happy Hunting! .. *NOT an expert.I haven't a clue what I'm doing.But I'm loving every minute of it. .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted November 11, 2012 Author Share Posted November 11, 2012 SS, those are some sweet finds. I'm glad to see your luck, (skill), is as good as always. Your finds, believe it or not, are one of the driving forces that get me up in the mornings and ready to get into that chilly water. I'm heading out there this morning. Leaving out of the Gardner area. Who knows, maybe we'll cross paths again this season. Happy Hunting! I hope you found some things on your hunts today. I participated in my fossil club trip to the Mosaic mine in north Bowling Green. I love going to Bone Valley. Did find a couple of small items (below). SS The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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