Plant material, flakes and a potential bone

[M3gal0don_M4n]

In late January this year I went on a holiday inside my state to a place called Cape Patterson, in Victoria, Australia. On a school camp in March, 2023 (that coincided on my birthday), we did a short fossil course on the cliffs with a palaeontologist who I rather sadly forgot the name of. We found a few fossils, with me being the first person to find any. Long story short, I returned and found a slab of rock containing a piece of plant material and a few flecks of darkness, resembling which what I had told were plant fossils the year before. Upon further analysis, I discovered a small bone like marking that I thought to resemble a bone similar to those found in small reptiles such as Barasaurus besairiei (see below:). If any further information can be given to any of the features I described, that would be greatly appreciated.

 

I can take better, clearer photos if they are required. (Note: the image below is not in this specimen, more as a reference for the “bone”)

Edited 7 hours ago by M3gal0don_M4n

[M3gal0don_M4n]

I forgot to add, it appears to split down the middle three times, but I don’t think they appear to have been ripped, however more like a natural split.

Edited yesterday at 08:45 AM by M3gal0don_M4n

[Rockwood]

For some reason I don't trust that the texture is the most important indicator here. I wonder if the shape is that of a cephalopod siphuncle and septa. 

[M3gal0don_M4n]

10 hours ago, Rockwood said:

For some reason I don't trust that the texture is the most important indicator here. I wonder if the shape is that of a cephalopod siphuncle and septa. 

Interesting. Which of these are you talking about? Sorry, I’m half asleep and a bit slow today. 

[Rockwood]

35 minutes ago, M3gal0don_M4n said:

Interesting. Which of these are you talking about? Sorry, I’m half asleep and a bit slow today. 

I'm not confident of it, but the bottom photo is probably the one I'm wondering if maybe. . . The texture really has me, .

[M3gal0don_M4n]

It is quite intriguing. It doesn’t look like anything I have been able to find online.

Edited 14 hours ago by M3gal0don_M4n

[Kohler Palaeontology]

There are some experts on temnospondyls at the Australian Museum. Although it's the weekend so they won't reply until Monday. Temnospondyls lasted to the early cretaceous in Australia. Is this the early cretaceous part of Cape Patterson, or some other site? (If there are any other sites)

Edited 14 hours ago by Kohler Palaeontology

[M3gal0don_M4n]

I remembered it to be Jurassic, however I am not sure where I pulled that detail from. However, if you say that it is early Cretaceous, I believe you. 

Edited 14 hours ago by M3gal0don_M4n

[Kohler Palaeontology]

To my knowledge, the only Jurassic dinos from Australia are from around Roma, south-central Queensland. Which are from the Middle Jurassic Hutton Sandstones. 

[M3gal0don_M4n]

Interesting. What are your thoughts upon the potential bone being an bone and what does the strange texture on the larger potential cephalopod siphuncle and septa/plant fossil mean? 

Edited 12 hours ago by M3gal0don_M4n

[Kohler Palaeontology]

To be honest, I don't know. Maybe ask the Melbourne Muesum? Not sure...

[westcoast]

Bottom.photo looks like  vertebrae with ribs

[Kohler Palaeontology]

If it is, it would be a highly significant find.

[Kohler Palaeontology]

Looking at it closer, could that me a fossil hand on the bottom picture? I think an institution should see this.

[M3gal0don_M4n]

12 minutes ago, westcoast said:

Bottom.photo looks like  vertebrae with ribs

Haha! Do you mean the Barasaurus Specimen? I put that in, as I had found a bone similar to what would be found there. My apologies for the confusion! The order in which they were submitted were a bit messed up. I’ll make it clearer.

Edited 7 hours ago by M3gal0don_M4n

[westcoast]

Ah, i see!

[M3gal0don_M4n]

When you said that, I started scouring through, looking for anything bearing a resemblance to what you had described. Gave me a false alarm! 

[Rockwood]