connorp Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 I took advantage of the (eerily) nice weather today to make a trip to my favorite spot, an exposure of the Pennsylvanian LaSalle Limestone near Oglesby, Illinois. I found what appears to be a fragment of bone, or at least that's my best guess. The "inside" is very smooth with some twisting striations running partway down. What's left of the "outside" is porous and purpleish, similar in color and texture to the petalodont roots I find which is why I thought bone. I also found a small fragment (pictured) right next to it that appears to be associated, although I haven't found where the two might join yet. This certainly doesn't look like any shark teeth I've found, and besides the occasional fish scales or tiny indeterminate fragments, I've never found any other vertebrate material. I will say that my first thought was a tetrapod bone fragment as I know at least one such specimen has been found here, but I won't get my hopes up just yet. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 Almost looks more like tooth (enamel?) in there ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 I'd like to see shots of the "ends" of the item. @jdp Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdp Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 I think the very dark material is bone, and the rest is the impression of the bone on the infilling matrix. It could indeed be tetrapod, but I'd need to see a few more angles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westcoast Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 Very nice find, tetrapod looks a reasonable option based on those pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connorp Posted December 30, 2019 Author Share Posted December 30, 2019 Here are a few more shots @Fossildude19 @jdp 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdp Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 Definitely bone. Possibly tetrapod. Maybe a piece of skull but I'm honestly having a very hard time pinning it down to a specific bone. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connorp Posted December 31, 2019 Author Share Posted December 31, 2019 38 minutes ago, jdp said: Definitely bone. Possibly tetrapod. Maybe a piece of skull but I'm honestly having a very hard time pinning it down to a specific bone. Thanks, that’s what I figured. Looks like there’s a lot covered by matrix, I’ll post results if it preps well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deutscheben Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 Interesting! I will say that so far all of the bits I initially thought were bone fragments from this site turned out to be the exposed undersides of crusher teeth, so that would be my first guess for what the impession and remnants are. But I certainly would not rule out the possibility it is a part of a shark spine or other bone either- it would require a closer examination and more expertise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connorp Posted December 31, 2019 Author Share Posted December 31, 2019 24 minutes ago, deutscheben said: Interesting! I will say that so far all of the bits I initially thought were bone fragments from this site turned out to be the exposed undersides of crusher teeth, so that would be my first guess for what the impession and remnants are. But I certainly would not rule out the possibility it is a part of a shark spine or other bone either- it would require a closer examination and more expertise. The more porous material certainly reminded me of the petalodont roots I so frequently find. However the whole piece seems too big to be a part of any tooth to me, which is why I'm thinking bone rather than tooth fragment. If I can prep it well maybe that will help. It's proving to be difficult though, the bone flakes off almost as soon as it gets exposed. I'm going to hold off until I'm back from holiday so I can apply consolidant as I go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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