Sebassie Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 (edited) Found this mineralized tibia at the Zandmotor beach in the Netherlands. This beach is known for Pleistocene fossils. I don’t know much about rodents, but it was suggested to me that it might be Arvicola amphibius. It is probably a bit too large for mouse or mole. I would love to hear thoughts/suggestions on what it might be. Edited September 20, 2023 by Sebassie 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old bones Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 Although I do not know the fossil rodents in your area, I have to say that your suggestion looks good. I found this nice reference online which you may already have... a-skeletal-comparison-of-selected-small-mammals1.pdf 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebassie Posted September 20, 2023 Author Share Posted September 20, 2023 5 minutes ago, old bones said: Although I do not know the fossil rodents in your area, I have to say that your suggestion looks good. I found this nice reference online which you may already have... a-skeletal-comparison-of-selected-small-mammals1.pdf 1.93 MB · 1 download I did not have that and I really appreciate it. Now I feel like I can say with a certain degree of certainty that it must be the water vole. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old bones Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 You're welcome, glad I could help. I find small bones like yours very interesting and have a pretty good library of collected reference. I envy you your hunting grounds and hope to see more of your finds. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebassie Posted September 20, 2023 Author Share Posted September 20, 2023 21 minutes ago, old bones said: You're welcome, glad I could help. I find small bones like yours very interesting and have a pretty good library of collected reference. I envy you your hunting grounds and hope to see more of your finds. I agree! Started going for the mammoth bone, now I like the tiny stuff - rodent or birds, etc. - at least as much. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 It should be fairly easy to ID as the fibula is fused to a certain point on the shaft. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClearLake Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 If it was from North America, I would say it most looks (shape and size) like a Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) so your ID is probably pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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