Mammalian limb bone, need help identifying species

[bluefish1766]

Hi all

 

My son found this bone fragment in southwestern Colorado.  We have figured out that it's mammalian and from one of the limbs.  He wants to see if anyone can tell which species it is from.  Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks!

[Rockwood]

I'm reluctant to say that it's impossible, but it must be close.

[Ivaldir]

I'd begin to compare with distal deer tibia, but I'm no expert

[CDiggs]

I think Ivaldir has it.

white tailed deer tibia

[Rockwood]

47 minutes ago, CDiggs said:

I think Ivaldir has it.

white tailed deer tibia

Just curious, what exactly rules out every other mammal that is about this size?

[CDiggs]

8 hours ago, Rockwood said:

Just curious, what exactly rules out every other mammal that is about this size?

I didn't say we could rule out anything. I only agreed that it compared favorably to deer and then provided a link to a comparative image for others to judge with their own eyes. I'm certainly open to suggestions of other possibilities.

 

I do think that we can eliminate a huge number of mammals based on the sole surviving articular facet, like coyote and other canids, it also looks noting like a cat or other felids so we can rule out carnivores I would think. The angles on the articulation don't match sheep as they look to be pretty much perpendicular to the body planes on the specimen in question instead of skewed, which is also why I don't think perissiodactyl is likely either. Size makes this unlikely to be bovid. I don't think this is impossible to identify to at least a reasonable level of confidence, if nothing else it should be possible to narrow it down significantly from "mammals".

 

Based on general find location and size, probability alone would suggest deer as a likely possibility and a good place to start. Perhaps goat is another possibility worthy of consideration and I suppose pronghorn is another. I would hope we could agree that it is in fact a distal tibia at the very least. Likely from an artiodactyl mammal based on the shape of the articulation facet and from there we can at least try narrow down the possible options instead of simply throwing our hands up in defeat at the impossibility of being certain,.

Edited August 5 by CDiggs