Bone Fragment from Monmouth NJ — fossil or modern?

[LoreHunter]

Hi all—

 

On our most recent trip up to the Monmouth Brooks, my husband and I found this small bone fragment in addition to the usual teeth and fossils we typically find there. We can't decide if it's a fossil or modern bone.

 

I read about the burn test on here, and so we tried it. We didn't note any noticeable smell other than heat, but it did cause a small section of the outside to become brittle and flake away (pictured in the last photo). I'm leaning more toward modern bone for that reason, but I just wasn't sure. 

 

Any ideas or other methods to identify it? We also don't have any idea what it might be from either way

[Rockwood]

I'd tap it lightly against my teeth. It takes a little calibration, but the difference in tone/feel is discernable.

[njcreekhunter]

This doesn't look like a piece of Cretaceous bone to me. It is likely modern but has the potential to be Pleistocene in age. 

[LoreHunter]

4 hours ago, Rockwood said:

I'd tap it lightly against my teeth. It takes a little calibration, but the difference in tone/feel is discernable.

I'll have to give that a try, thanks!

[LoreHunter]

28 minutes ago, sharktoothboy said:

This doesn't look like a piece of Cretaceous bone to me. It is likely modern but has the potential to be Pleistocene in age. 

Definitely agree there. I've heard ice age mammal bones show up in the area every now again, but wasn't sure how to discern if it was that old, or more recent