La Brea Tar Pit Bones

[Mochaccino]

Hello,

 

I have this piece from the Pleistocene-aged La Brea Tar Pits of LA county, California, USA. Alongside the beetle, it has several bones embedded in it which were just described as "mammal". It's possible that more than one species is represented. Can I get a more precise identification for them? Or would I need further prep for that? I know next to nothing of vertebrates but my understanding is that for long bones, the bone ends are most important for identification.
 

Thank you.

 

 

[Lone Hunter]

Can't help with ID but that's a really cool piece !

[Oregon1955]

Mochaccino,

Fascinating piece.

I'm not the guy that will give you an identification based on what we can tell from these pictures. I have seen a great many Pleistocene mammal bones from lakebed deposits here in Oregon though, and of your 3 exposed bones, only one gives me a mammal tibia vibe and even it seems off. The long straight bone without ends seems too long for any small mammal I can recall. Finally, the flat, thin, blade-like bone appears to be a scapula/pelvis, but not very mammal-like. So... I'm guessing that could be an Avian pelvis. Hopefully our more expert voices chime in. Calling @Auspex. 

Best of luck,

Mike

[DPS Ammonite]

15 minutes ago, Oregon1955 said:

Hopefully our more expert voices chime in. Calling @Auspex. 

Best of luck,

Mike

I noticed that @Auspex is not highlighted. You need to type @ plus the first few letters of auspex. You then should select Auspex from drop down menu in order to activate the message to Auspex.

Edited November 25, 2023 by DPS Ammonite

[Mahnmut]

Hi,

I think the flat bone could well be something like a rodent scapula, bird pelvic bones (synsacra) are quite diverse, but not my first guess for that one.

Best regards,

J

[patelinho7]

Out of curiosity, how does one obtain matrix from La Brea? My visit there many years ago remains a core memory of mine but I don’t remember any way to access the material myself. I do wish I could visit their fishbowl lab someday… it was so fun to watch the lab technicians work 

[Mochaccino]

2 hours ago, patelinho7 said:

Out of curiosity, how does one obtain matrix from La Brea? My visit there many years ago remains a core memory of mine but I don’t remember any way to access the material myself. I do wish I could visit their fishbowl lab someday… it was so fun to watch the lab technicians work 

If you're referring to true LA La Brea Tar Pit material, that stuff is pretty hard to find. Collecting has been illegal for many years so your only bet is old collections made prior to the ban. However, there is more abundant material on the market from the McKittrick Tar Pits and Maricopa Tar Pits of Kern County, which has fairly similar fauna. Many sellers don't make the distinction or don't know. The matrix is pretty distinct between the sites as far as I can tell, but if you're just looking for any Tar Pit material you should be able to find some eventually.

[Auspex]

I don't get a big bid-vibe from the purported scapula. Heaven knows that there is no dearth of bird material from LaBrea, but the vast majority of it is raptors and vultures. their bits are usually of a much grander scale. In short: 'I dunno, but doubt it'.

[Mochaccino]

On 11/25/2023 at 10:51 AM, Oregon1955 said:

Mochaccino,

Fascinating piece.

I'm not the guy that will give you an identification based on what we can tell from these pictures. I have seen a great many Pleistocene mammal bones from lakebed deposits here in Oregon though, and of your 3 exposed bones, only one gives me a mammal tibia vibe and even it seems off. The long straight bone without ends seems too long for any small mammal I can recall. Finally, the flat, thin, blade-like bone appears to be a scapula/pelvis, but not very mammal-like. So... I'm guessing that could be an Avian pelvis. Hopefully our more expert voices chime in. Calling @Auspex. 

Best of luck,

Mike

 

On 11/25/2023 at 11:10 AM, Mahnmut said:

Hi,

I think the flat bone could well be something like a rodent scapula, bird pelvic bones (synsacra) are quite diverse, but not my first guess for that one.

Best regards,

J

 

On 11/27/2023 at 9:31 AM, Auspex said:

I don't get a big bid-vibe from the purported scapula. Heaven knows that there is no dearth of bird material from LaBrea, but the vast majority of it is raptors and vultures. their bits are usually of a much grander scale. In short: 'I dunno, but doubt it'.

 

Thanks for your responses. I suppose the takeaway is that it's unclear what these bones are from, but not likely bird. 

 

[Psittacosaur9]

Am I crazy, or is this a beetle?

 

Edited November 29, 2023 by Psittacosaur9
Accidentally posted two identical images

[Mochaccino]

21 minutes ago, Psittacosaur9 said:

Am I crazy, or is this a beetle?

That is indeed a beetle, Hydrophilus explanatus I believe.