I_gotta_rock Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 My apologies for the blurry picture using a coin for scale, but I took this picture in the field and I managed to damage the specimen afterward. It was originally about 5 mm long. I found this tiny claw in Green(s) Mill Run, North Carolina, last week. I cannot find a life form of appropriate size with fused claws like this. This is probably Pleistocene as all the fossils of older strata are marine and this looks suspiciously like a terrestrial predator of some kind. I did a flame test, but heated it a bit too much. The tip of the claw core disintegrated when I set it down. Modern? Regardless, I'd love to know what kind of animal it came from. I refuse to give up my childish wonder at the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted July 23 Share Posted July 23 I tried to enhance your photo a bit - I hope you don't mind... Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 IPFOTM -- MAY - 2024 _________________________________________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_gotta_rock Posted July 23 Author Share Posted July 23 Just now, Fossildude19 said: I tried to enhance your photo a bit - I hope you don't mind... I don't mind at all. I refuse to give up my childish wonder at the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted July 24 Share Posted July 24 It reminds me of a Hadrodus tooth. Is there any indication of enamel? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocket Posted July 24 Share Posted July 24 @I_gotta_rock: you think this are two bones or is it one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Cole Posted July 24 Share Posted July 24 Some other views may be very helpful, especially in brighter lighting conditions against a white background. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_gotta_rock Posted July 24 Author Share Posted July 24 3 hours ago, Al Dente said: It reminds me of a Hadrodus tooth. Is there any indication of enamel? No enamel and the end that would be a has a knuckle typical of a toe hinge. The bone nub at the base of the hook is also indicative of a digit rather than a tooth. I refuse to give up my childish wonder at the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_gotta_rock Posted July 24 Author Share Posted July 24 3 hours ago, rocket said: @I_gotta_rock: you think this are two bones or is it one? It's possible they started out as two bones, and fused together for reasons of growth or pathology, but now they are definitely one bone. I refuse to give up my childish wonder at the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocket Posted July 24 Share Posted July 24 reminds a little bit to a toe bone with a claw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFOOLEY Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 Cool find...saw this on the interweb... https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/montbrook/blog/fused-carnivore-toe/ 1 "I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?" ~Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_gotta_rock Posted August 1 Author Share Posted August 1 (edited) Alright, I finally got some better photos. Microscope cam died and I had to do it with the DSLR on a fairly big rig. @Pfooley suggested Borophagus, which looks like a match in the link, except that this is probably a few million years younger and is definitely much smaller. Scale is in mm. I am just crying that I destroyed the tip when I got it home! Edited August 1 by I_gotta_rock Added a detail I refuse to give up my childish wonder at the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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