Very Old Horsies

[tracer]

we've had quite a few discussions on the forum about how to tell fossils from non-fossils, and of course, that's really an issue with the non-extinct species. horsies in my part of the world apparently kind of got extincted (think shish kebab) during the huntercene, but then the spanish explorers brought them back over here and pointed out that they could be ridden as well as eaten, or something like that. i don't want to get too far into revisionist pre-history, because my imagination is too vivid and it probably couldn't have been as wild back when as i can picture it. so anyway, tj was recently the victim of a mad beaver attack. well actually, there were apparently two of them. i should never take tj anywhere away from fast food restaurant territory early in the morning. he gets crosswise with local wildlife. the story as i experienced it was that i was just yakking along in my yak, enjoying an early morning way the heck away from anything modern. tj was behind me somewhere, in his yak, perusing whatever it is he peruses with those beady little eyes of his. so anyway, i hear a blood-curdling scream of terror. i didn't look back, because whatever was happening, i knew from past experience in life that i didn't want to see it. so anyway, tj's side of the story was that he was looking closely (and paddling closely) to the bank beside him, and he saw two large holes in the bank, and just about the time he was looking in the holes, two very large, and obviously upset beavers lunged out of the holes in his direction into the water. i guess he feared some sort of jaws-esque submarine attack or something, but he was rendered far less than satisfied by the encounter.

wait, what was i talking about, and how'd i get off onto the beaver attack thing? my cat's bugging me. oh, yeah, horsies! so anyway, lots of people find kinda modern looking horsie bones that might have some brownishness to them, but otherwise sorta look like they just came out of the store window. so i thought i'd throw out a picture of some absolutely pre-columbian horsie pieces which are replete with extraordinarily oldish chertiness and sheen and in one instance substantive adhering sandstoniness. these horsies far pre-date stirrups and bridles...

ok, soooo, if you find ones like these, they're old.

[Plantguy]

Tracer, I'm glad TJ survived the animal encounter! I bet he is also very glad!

Sandstoniness is good! Duly noted! What neck of the woods did these very old specimens come from? Regards, Chris

[tracer]

Tracer, I'm glad TJ survived the animal encounter! I bet he is also very glad!

Sandstoniness is good! Duly noted! What neck of the woods did these very old specimens come from? Regards, Chris

these clinky pseudomorphs of silica after equid came from that area <pointing toward southeast texas, which in his case, is straight down, cuz he's standing in southeast texas, well, sitting really, but you get the idea>.

darn beavers. i'm starting to dislike them almost as much as bears. omg, somebody sent me an email showing what a bear did to an airplane in alaska! google it. you won't ever leave your plane around bears again. if you have a plane. and bears....

i'm going to bed. sheesh.

[Auspex]

I hope those aren't beaver teeth marks on those horse bones...you may have underestimated TJ's peril!

("TJ's Peril" sounds like a good band name!)

[PaleoRon]

Beavers are not rodents to be trifled with.