nniebur Posted August 4, 2015 Posted August 4, 2015 Hello I am looking for some help in identifying what something is. My husband and I went rafting down the West Nishnabotna River in western Iowa Pottawattamie county between Carson and Macedonia a couple of week ago when we stopped on a sand bar to explore. He saw something sticking up from the sand and pulled it out. It appears to have some crystaline stuff in it when you look at it under a magnifying glass. We think it is some type of vertebrae but can't identify it. Thanks for your help!
JohnJ Posted August 4, 2015 Posted August 4, 2015 Looks like the back/bottom of a mammal skull. If you could get clear photos of it in the sun, someone might be able to help further the ID. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ
njfossilhunter Posted August 4, 2015 Posted August 4, 2015 I agree with JohnJ....I'm looking forward to know from what mammal this belongs too. TonyThe Brooks Are Like A Box Of Chocolates,,,, You Never Know What You'll Find. I Told You I Don't Have Alzheimer's.....I Have Sometimers. Some Times I Remember And Some Times I Forget.... I Mostly Forget.
nniebur Posted August 4, 2015 Author Posted August 4, 2015 I'll try to get some pics of it in the sun...we have had so much rain recently!.... We had thought it was part of a skull too originally but it seems as if there is a hole on one side and then another one about the same size on the other which we thought might've supported a spinal column. It is very perplexing. Not even sure which is the right way to look at it. In one of the pics it looks almost like a gargoyle face to me but that is just my imagination. I am really interested in any possibilities...
nniebur Posted August 4, 2015 Author Posted August 4, 2015 Oh yeah, I have looked at literally thousands of images of animal skulls and haven't seen anything like it.
jpevahouse Posted August 4, 2015 Posted August 4, 2015 A very badly deteriorated bison skull. Iowa seems to have it's share of bison bones.
nniebur Posted August 5, 2015 Author Posted August 5, 2015 Hello Here are some pics I took yesterday evening
JohnJ Posted August 5, 2015 Posted August 5, 2015 A very badly deteriorated bison skull. Iowa seems to have it's share of bison bones. Much better photos. As Jerry mentioned above, it appears you've found the occipital region of a bison skull. Hard to say how old it is. Here are images of a different, but similar, skull to illustrate what you've found. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ
nniebur Posted August 7, 2015 Author Posted August 7, 2015 do you know how i could find out how old it is? And thanks for the link above.
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