Fishbone or pterosaur bone?

[sjaak]

I found this bone in marine Jurassic sediments in Scotland. I found a lot of fish bones there in the past but also possible pterosaur. What do you think of this bone? First thought was fish spine, but the shape also reminds me of a phalange or small tibia/ ulna. Hope the pictures are clear enough.

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

Maybe try and prep it out a bit more to get a better look...

 

@msantix

[sjaak]

I did a little. Think the bone is prepped free. Too fragile for further prepping. Hope someone has an idea because I don't know…..

[Anomotodon]

Very cool find! I might be wrong but I can see it being a pterosaur metatarsal. Is this from the same deposits as Dearc sgiathanach?

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

I agree... Not that I'm truly versed with either fish or pterosaur, but this strikes me as more of a tetrapod bone than fish. Maybe show it to a pterosaur-expert like Dave Martill?

[sjaak]

Thanks, its Kimmeridgian, Helmsdale.

 

[Moth.11]

Cool

[sjaak]

Tibia or fibula maybe ?

Edited November 10 by sjaak

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

50 minutes ago, sjaak said:

Tibia or fibula maybe ?

 

For a tetrapod, that doesn't sound unreasonable. However, I don't have enough experience with pterosaur anatomy to tell...

[Anomotodon]

5 hours ago, sjaak said:

Tibia or fibula maybe ?

I believe fibula in pterosaurs is either heavily reduced or fused with tibia into tibiotarsus. Based on the expanding proximal end I would suspect either a metatarsal or a metacarpal. Pterosaur metacarpals typically have a very prominent distal articulating surface, so I think it fits better with a metatarsal.

 

For comparison Propterodactylus hindlimbs (compare to metatarsal I)

 

 

and forelimbs

 

[msantix]

I wasn't sure when I first saw it, but I was leaning towards Pterosaur rather than fish and possibly maybe a wing phalanx for a small Jurassic Pterosaur. Some good responses in this thread and I went ahead and showed the photos to David Martill since he is a Pterosaur expert. The response is that maybe it could be a Pterosaur fibula or maybe even a small dinosaur fibula.

 

It might be impossible to be sure. I do think like the others it might be a Pterosaur bone. Very nice fossil regardless of what it might belong to!

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

2 hours ago, msantix said:

The response is that maybe it could be a Pterosaur fibula or maybe even a small dinosaur fibula.

 

Yeah, small dinosaur passed my mind as well... Seems like a tricky, yet ultimately extremely interesting, find! Congrats, Niels! 

[sjaak]

Dear all, thank you very much for your input and responses! Its seems an intriguing find. I think I will approach the Edinburgh natural history museum.