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Unknown theropod claw. (Cretacious period)


Faolan2767

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This fossil is a claw from a Hell Creek microsite in Montana (Carter county to be precise). It measures just under 7/16" of an inch wide on its side view by 1 1/16" inches in length. It's from the Cretaceous period and is missing its proximal end.

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Edited by Faolan2767
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Photo?

Info: Craig Hyatt, retired software/electrical engineer

Experience: Beginner, fossil hunting less than a year

Location: Eagle Pass, TX USA on the border with Mexico, hot dry desert

Formation: Escondido, Marine, Upper Cretaceous

Materials: Sandstone, Mudstone, Shale, Chert, Chalk

Typical: Thalassinoides, Sphenodiscus, Exogyra, Inoceramus

Reference: http://txfossils.com/Txfossils.html

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Sorry about the missing photos. Don't know what happened to them as I was sure I posted the photos.

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Not sure what the claw is but the blood grooves are all wrong for Ornithomimid. These tend to be wider at the tip and not compressed like your specimen (see photo). Claws are like teeth need to be complete if you want a chance of getting a PROPER ID or what's there diagnostic enough to be recognized. The proximal end is very important to identification. Online auction sellers do an awful job with IDs but in this case they have it right calling it unidentified. Still early here in the west but will compare it to those in my collection and see if I have a better answer. Might be the tip of an an Anzu.

Here is where the guessing games begin and it's a he said she said game with claws that are not complete or heavily restored. If you're not willing to accept "theropod indet." as an ID, pass on it. No matter what I say or anyone else it's pure guesswork and you will not get a positive ID on this one.

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Edited by Troodon
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Looked at a couple of different shape claws and here is the best fit. My Dromaeosaurid hand claws were too recurved, even the bigger ones. So is it Anzu? I have no idea its a Theropod indet :)

Your specimen 1 1/16

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4" Anzu Hand Claw

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1 1/2" Anzu Hand Cl;aw

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Edited by Troodon
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I will just give a piece of advice when shopping for dinosaur claws. This is only my opinion, so take it as you will. Whether it is the species that you are looking for or not, claws are some of the most coveted of all dinosaur fossils. My opinion is that if you are going to spend good money, get a claw that is complete, or at least complete enough to be positively identified. Some of them for sale are missing a small area of distal tips, but they can be properly restored if you wish. Claws that are missing either large portions of the distal or proximal areas of the claw are just not able to be identified, as Troodon has stated. A complete or near complete claw won't be cheap, but it will be well worth the money in the long run, and you'll have a specimen that will retain its value if you have to part with it, or a great piece to pass down to future generations of fossil lovers. Oddly enough, nice claws do appear quite often on auction sites.

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