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Showing results for tags 'osteology'.
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There are a lot of experienced dinosaur collectors out there but for the newbie I thought a topic on the anatomy of bones and teeth would be beneficial, in plain english. Avoids reading pdf's that are difficult to get through the technical terms. Orientation Skeleton The specific sketal structure of a dinosaur varies between theropod and herbivore but the major elements are typical. Skulls of dinosaurs are not comprised of a single bone but many elements See the osteology of a Trex skull on page 2 The holes in the skull are identified as follows Theropod Teeth Theropod teeth are widely collected let's look at their anatomy and nomenclature Tooth Orientation Apical- The direction from the cervix to the apex (Fig. 1C, E). Basal- The direction from the apex to the cervix (Fig. 1C, E). Mesial- The direction towards the jaw midline, center (Fig. 1C). Mesial can refer also to the surface facing the jaw midline, center. Distal- This term is used slightly differently for teeth versus denticles. For teeth, distal refers to the direction away from the jaw center and towards the posterior end of the jaw (Fig. 1C). For denticles, distal refers to the direction away from the crown, from the denticle base to the denticle apex (Fig. 1E). Proximal- From the denticle apex to the base, proximal refers to the direction towards the crown ( Fig. 1E). Labial- The surface or direction pointing from the skull outwards, thus towards the lips or cheeks ( Fig. 1D). Lingual- The surface and direction towards the skull midline, thus facing the tongue ( Fig. 1D). Tooth Situation and Position Isolated Tooth- Tooth shed or non-articulated with the toothbearing bone. This is what collectors typically purchase. Shed Tooth- Tooth lost while alive,, either falling out due to the eruption of the replacement tooth or when processing food (e.g., biting, impaling, shearing, chewing), and therefore only preserving the crown and the basal-most part of the root. In Situ Tooth-Tooth within the alveolus of the tooth-bearing bone. Erupted Tooth- Tooth that grew outside the tooth-bearing bone, thus fully visible in the mouth. Unerupted Tooth- Tooth within the alveolus and still inside the jaw, and therefore not visible or only partially visible in the mouth. Premaxillary Tooth - Tooth in front of the upper jaw, typically four would exist in a theropod Maxillary Tooth - Tooth in the upper jaw that follow the Premaxillary teeth. Dentary Tooth- Tooth in the lower jaw Tooth Anatomy Crown (co) Portion of the tooth covered with enamel, typically situated above the gum and protruding into the mouth Root (ro) Portion of the tooth beneath the gum and embedded in an alveolus or an open alveolar groove
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Anyone found a good article with data on femur size in bison. Or possibly even comaprasion acorss bison sub species. I found a large femur and am wondering if it is outside of the normal bison bison range. It is 47cm or about 18.5 inches in length.
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Amateur fossil hunter. Live in North East Texas, Upshur County very near Camp County, and I found these specimens on our farm, in various places, not all together. From what I've read, this area is Cenozoic > Eocene. I'm noticing some similarities between them, but being a novice, have no idea the orientation they would be positioned on the animal. If I did, I could google lateral view, medial, or caudal view etc, and have a CHANCE of identifying them. But, I don't, so have the proverbial needle in a haystack here The smallest specimen is roughly 3/4" across, and the largest is roughly 2" across, as pictured. Clearly a variety of bones, but similar in that they are thinner on one side and either have a rounded or abruptly thicker side. Would greatly appreciate any pointers. Thank you!
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- bone
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