SE Texas - What's this?

[johnnyvaldez7.jv]

I found this small bone the other day on a river gravel bank. Figured it's a piece of scrap because it's so worn. It's flat on the bottom.  I don't think it's from a vertebra. Is it from a fish or turtle?

[hemipristis]

Where from?

[CDiggs]

looks like a heavily worn glyptotherium osteoderm to me. Love those even when they're beat up!

[johnnyvaldez7.jv]

@hemipristis It was found here in SE Texas on a river gravel bank where I find other Pleistocene material. 

[johnnyvaldez7.jv]

@CDiggs So it could be the center of E,F, or G? For sure its heavily worn but that's realty cool knowing it came from that. Thanks!

[CDiggs]

4 minutes ago, johnnyvaldez7.jv said:

@CDiggs So it could be the center of E,F, or G? For sure its heavily worn but that's realty cool knowing it came from that. Thanks!

Yeah you've got it. Happy to help! Just for fun, here are some photos of my favorite prep project I've ever done which was on a somewhat similar piece in a sandstone matrix.

[johnnyvaldez7.jv]

@CDiggs Man that came out nice! I can't believe how hard that sandstone matrix is. I've had a hard time with trying to remove it sometimes.  I usually just leave it when it's holding things together. I have a spot with sandstone chunks sitting on the bank everywhere. And the last camelid vertebra I posted before the system went down (which isn't there anymore not sure if its coming back) was found there and you almost couldn't see it in the sandstone. Also the Eremotherium skull piece I found and jaguar radius bone... same spot. I wonder how many things are inside those chunks? That stuff just added more and more layers to it over time. 

[GPayton]

I definitely agree with what's already been said, Glyptotherium osteoderm. I'd love to find one that's as complete and unworn as some of the ones I've seen come out of Florida but unfortunately that day hasn't come yet. Here's a photo of one I found last week:

 

With your luck @johnnyvaldez7.jv you're probably going to find an entire intact shell before too long! 

[johnnyvaldez7.jv]

Man @GPayton don't get me started cause I feel like that's a challenge! Just kidding. We had just enough rain to bring the river up a little and when it goes back down should be a few more things. And hopefully it washes away some sand off of others exposing them on the banks. The river shows no mercy and breaks everything and it's hard to find complete anything. 

Those osteoderms are cool. I have to see if I've found a complete one in the past... not sure.  

[johnnyvaldez7.jv]

On 9/16/2023 at 7:43 AM, CDiggs said:

looks like a heavily worn glyptotherium osteoderm to me. Love those even when they're beat up!

Found a nice little scute the other day also and turtle shell fragment the same day as this.

[CDiggs]

Nice! Definitely looks like turtle or tortoise carapace to me, but I'm not great with either despite how often I find bits of carapace or plastron. The osteoderm looks like Holmesina to me which I also love finding. Really finding any Xenarthran material is wonderful, so with the sloth calcaneum you found recently you're on a real hot streak!

[johnnyvaldez7.jv]

@CDiggs

@GPayton

 

 Is this a glyptotherium osteoderm?  I found this 2 days ago same place as everything else... SE Texas... river gravel bank... Pleistocene deposit. 

The back side isn't flat like the other... perhaps it's just worn down with the center still remaining?  I kept it in this thread since we were discussing osteoderms. Is it also called a Buckler osteoderm?

Size is 1.25 x 1.5 inches 

.5 inches thick at widest 

Edited October 30, 2023 by johnnyvaldez7.jv

[grandpa]

Sweeeet! 

[CDiggs]

4 hours ago, johnnyvaldez7.jv said:

 Is this a glyptotherium osteoderm? ... perhaps it's just worn down with the center still remaining?... Is it also called a Buckler osteoderm?

 

 

Yes, yes, and I don't think so.

 

Definitely Glyptotherium, the bone on the front is nicely river polished and the back has been eroded away except for that little island in the center, but I haven't seen the term buckler applied to the carapace of any of the Glyptodont's.

 

Unlike the carapace of it's relatives the armadillos which have imbrication bands that allow it to flex in some areas, Glyptotherium's carapace is relatively inflexible, so while I've seen the terms front or back buckler used to refer to the areas in front or behind the imbrication bands in armadillos, I don't think that term is applied to Glyptotherium. I've seen glyptotherium osteoderm positions described as caudal when they're from the tail, marginal carapacial when they're from the edge of the carapace, but I'd call this one an interior carapacial osteoderm as it looks like its from somewhere in the middle of the carapace, but I don't think it's possible to narrow its position down any further than that.

 

Nice one!

[GPayton]

Definitely a Glyptotherium osteoderm! And one with the classic complete "rosette pattern!" I've found several over the last few years that I've been hunting in the area but I've never found one that nice. 

I'm not sure why the one spot on the underside seems to be eroded into that pedestal shape but I've found them like that pretty frequently as well. It might have something to do with the thickness of the center of the osteoderm as compared to the outer portions. 

There were two species of Glyptotherium in North America, G. texanum and G. cylindricum. Both lived in Texas despite the name of the former, but can at least partially be distinguished by the time when they lived - G. texanum lived in the Early Pleistocene and G. cylindricum lived in the latter half. 

[johnnyvaldez7.jv]

@GPayton @CDiggs Thank you both for that information.  I can't belive I haven't found more of these considering how big they were and how many of these they had. It is a neat little find for sure.