Calcaneum Id

[garyc]

I've had this bone for a while and always thought it was a smaller horse calcaneum. But I just compared it to some others that I have and the angles look quite different. I've compared it to deer, but it seems a little too robust. Help please.

[Harry Pristis]

I cannot say what your calcaneum is because of the damage and because of the fine contours that have to be compared. There are more than a few calcanea imaged in my "BONES" album in the Gallery that may be useful to you.

Here is a comparison that I have not yet put in the album:

[RichW9090]

Looks like a large cat to me.

[Harry Pristis]

Yes, it could be from a big cat. Here's a much smaller cat calcaneum from Felis (Lynx) rexroadensis for comparison:

[RichW9090]

Right-o. I'd look at Smilodon, Panthera atrox, Panthera onca, etc.

[Harry Pristis]

Here's another cat calcaneum for comparison:

[garyc]

Cat....Cool! It does seem similar to Harry's comparisons. I'm not finding very many images online to compare this to. The one smilodon calcaneum I saw was about 2 7/8in. Mine measures 3 1/2in. along the longest line, but it does look similar. Is that measurement in the range?

[RichW9090]

Check P. atrox

[garyc]

Check P. atrox

I'm checking, but not finding a whole lot of info and no image of calcaneum for p. atrox. Sure would like for it to be one though.

[RichW9090]

I can check it, but I need better picture in standard anatomical positions, not at angles as in yours. I'll check the length measurements tonight.

[garyc]

Rich, here are more pics, hopefully at the angle that will help you. (I looked up "standard anatomical position"....hoping at least one of these is right.

Edited April 23, 2013 by garyc

[RichW9090]

The length of a sample (n=10) of P. atrox from Rancho La Brea was a range of 109 mm to 142 mm WAY bigger than yours, which measures 88.9 mm

Smilodon from Rancho La Brea (N=3), ranged from 79.4 mm to 106.8 mm which places yours right in the middle.

Panthera onca, a single fossil individual from Florida measured 89.5 mm, which is also mighty close to your specimen.

Miracinonyx inexpectata, one specimen, has a length of 91.5 mm, again close to yours

Miracinonyx trumani has an average length for 10 specimens of 84.6 mm, somewhat smaller, but since this is an average, the largest may have been close in size to yours.

Xenosmilus hodsonae, for the two paratypical individuals, had lengths of 102.5 and 104.1

Homotherium serum from Friesehahn Cave ranged from 74.8 mm to 83.5 mm

Dinofelis, a rare Pleistocene large cat known from a couple of specimens in North America, but abundant material in Africa, has a length of 71.0 mm to 84.9 mm, perhaps significantly smaller than yours.

So yours is not any of the smaller cats. It is significantly larger than puma (Puma concolor, and probably larger than "Felis" lacustris. It is larger than Homotherium and Dinofelis.. It is about the size of the Pleistocene sabertooth, the Pleistocene jaguar and the American Cheetah, but smaller than The American Lion, or Xenosmilus.

If I had it in hand, I could likely identify it to species. You can contact me if you are interested in having it identified.

Rich

Edited April 23, 2013 by RichW9090