Harry Pristis Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Here's a quiz: What is this bone and what taxon does it represent? There are representatives of this taxon found world-wide over a long span of geological time. Partial answers win no gold. http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 I like this game, only in this case I really stand the chance of demonstrating consummate ignorance. What span of geological time are we talking? Marine or terrestrial? Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 I can only give a guess and partial one at that: turtle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOROPUS Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 A "fishy"theme? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 No close guess, so far. You might find a representative of this group of animals almost anywhere in Texas, Dan, but certainly in the Tertiary deposits. No tricks here -- this is a complete bone from a familiar animal. Keep trying. http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 It has the shape of a manatee. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worthy 55 Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Yes, that is what I was thinking too Roz. Dugong ? It's my bone!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Might be, T. m. latirostris, Florida manatee. NAME - manatee, Florida OTHER COMMON NAMES - ELEMENT CODE - 03/16/84 AOU CODE - 04/29/85 CATEGORY - Marine Mammals PHYLUM AND SUBPHYLUM - Chordata, CLASS AND SUBCLASS - Mammalia, Theria ORDER AND SUBORDER - Sirenia, FAMILY AND SUBFAMILY - Trichechidae, GENUS AND SUBGENUS - Trichechus, SPECIES AND SSP - manatus, SCIENTIFIC NAME - Trichechus manatus AUTHORITY - Linnaeus 1758 Could be what you said though, Worthy Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fruitbat Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Without being able to see the reverse (and likely more diagnostic) side of this bone...I'd suspect an ischium of a plantigrade, occasionallly bipedal mammal...perhaps one of the xenarthrans (Order Pilosa, Suborder Folivora) or possibly even an Ursid. It looks like we've got an acetablulum present with an articulating surface (shown in the first view) for a matching bone on the other side of the pelvis. Right off the top of my head, the only other 'common' animal that would have such a broad ischium and would have inhabited Florida is Homo...but that's ruled out by the Miocene date. I suppose I could drag out a bunch of the osteology texts and try to pinpoint this one but I'll see if anybody else nails it first because I just got home from work and I'm too darned tired to put forth that much effort!! Oh...since you say it is a world-wide taxon then I'll have to lean my guess more toward an Ursid than one of the Xenarthra. In other (less scientificese) words...I'm leaning toward part of a bear hip. -Joe Illigitimati non carborundum Fruitbat's PDF Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Some sort of horse skull bone? Probably not. And I don't have a complete horse skull to compare to. Turtle/tortoise and horse are the most common Pleistocene/Pliocene/Miocene terrestrial vert finds in TX in my limited experience. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharktoothguy11222 Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I put my money on some type of horse! I'm probably wrong though Tha tighin fodham, fodham, fodham! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Don't read my guess, read the above posts again, and don't think the manatee is a common find here. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hybodus Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Harry - very good idea and cool quiz. If it was a shark tooth, I might have a chance! Not my area - and I know you do not give partial credit. So, you have given the hints of obscure bone, ubiquitous taxon, Tertiary, and throughout Texas (Tertiary deposits). You have also said no to turtle, I would have sworn turtle, but sine we already have a no, my guess then would be a member of the Crocodylidae - looks similar to a few skull fragments I have. But again, what the heck do I know - it's all about the sharks and rays for me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted September 23, 2008 Author Share Posted September 23, 2008 Here's a quiz: What is this bone and what taxon does it represent? Partial answers win no gold. It's not a sirenian, it's not a horse, it's not a turtle, it's not a bear, it's not a xenarthran. Here's an image of the reverse side of the bone to reassure viewers that I am not hiding the really diagnostic features from you. Here's a big clue: This is not a cranial bone. http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metopocetus Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Scapula of ......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOROPUS Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 ...dog? No idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 It looks a bit like the head plate (not the skull) of an armadillo. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Or a bone attached to the horn of a bison. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted September 23, 2008 Author Share Posted September 23, 2008 Nope. Not a scapula, not a dog, not an armadillo (which is a xenarthran), not a bison. Atropicallondon is taking the right tack -- there are many possible taxa, but relatively few bones this could be. Identify the bone, and the taxon will become evident. Giveaway clue: Dogs, bison, and humans have this bone, though it is fused to another bone in these taxa, and may go by another name. http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrocklds Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 my guess, a Poëbrotherium (camel) coracoid. Brock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Baculum??? Hahaha Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted September 23, 2008 Author Share Posted September 23, 2008 Nope, this bone is not from a camelid, though there is a homologue in the camel skeleton (as there is in the human skeleton). Identify the bone, and all will become clear to you!! http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I was thinking manubrium, but it gets kind of hazy after that..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metopocetus Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Nope. Not a scapula, not a dog, not an armadillo (which is a xenarthran), not a bison. Atropicallondon is taking the right tack -- there are many possible taxa, but relatively few bones this could be. Identify the bone, and the taxon will become evident. Giveaway clue: Dogs, bison, and humans have this bone, though it is fused to another bone in these taxa, and may go by another name. Fused...hmm...sacrum? I like sacrum...but of what I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Looks like the edges of the thing have gnaw marks from rodents all over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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