New Members tangers40 Posted May 4 New Members Share Posted May 4 Hi everybody! My dad has asked me for some help in identifying this piece of fossilized bone he found years ago. He says he found it on his property in northwestern Colorado and somebody told him it was a skull of some kind. Considering I am just learning how to identify fossils, I figured I should ask for help before telling him yes or no! It was one solid piece, but he says it broke in 2 when he picked it up. One side (slightly convex) is smooth, while the other side (concave) is dimpled like a golf ball. I have no idea where the blue coloration came from. I can provide more pictures if necessary. Can anyone help with an ID? Doesn't have to be super-specific, but if we could narrow it down to at least a class of animals, he would be thrilled. Thank you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted May 4 Share Posted May 4 It is either crocodile or turtle. The depressions are deeper than I would expect for turtle shell, but the edge of the bone looks very turtle-like. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
val horn Posted May 4 Share Posted May 4 Looks like croc osteoderm to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members tangers40 Posted May 5 Author New Members Share Posted May 5 19 hours ago, Al Dente said: It is either crocodile or turtle. The depressions are deeper than I would expect for turtle shell, but the edge of the bone looks very turtle-like. I don't think the depressions are very deep at all, maybe they just look that way in my photos. To my completely amateur eye (!), the indentations on turtle shell look very similar to what I have, while those on a crocodile osteoderm look much deeper and more well-defined. These are pretty shallow divots. Again, I don't know what I'm talking about, but after doing some quick research I found more examples of turtle shell that looks like what I have than I did croc pieces. Thank you for your help! At least I can tell my dad it's not a skull! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDiggs Posted May 5 Share Posted May 5 I'd agree with softshelled (trionychidae) turtle carapace. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 I'm also getting a much stronger turtle signal from this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members tangers40 Posted May 7 Author New Members Share Posted May 7 On 5/5/2024 at 5:22 AM, CDiggs said: I'd agree with softshelled (trionychidae) turtle carapace. Thank you! My dad says "I just knew it looked odd so I picked it up." He doesn't get nearly as excited about stuff like that as I do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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