New Members Markalan Posted November 1, 2010 New Members Share Posted November 1, 2010 Gentlemen, Last week I found a fossil vertebra at the tide pools in San Pedro California. I have no clue what we have. Please see two photographs. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 I don't have a good sense of the scale, but the shape in cross section makes me wonder whether they might not be shark? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members Markalan Posted November 1, 2010 Author New Members Share Posted November 1, 2010 Thank you for the feed back regarding a possible shark. The attached photo has a rule indicating approximate fossil size. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 There are a number of middle-late Miocene diatomite and shaly units in the vicinity of San Pedro - normally I would say it could have also been ichthyosaur, but that was before I saw the location. This is definitely some type of large shark, given the size of these vertebrate and knowing the shark fossil record in California, it is most likely from the genus Isurus. Bobby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted November 2, 2010 Share Posted November 2, 2010 I was gonna say ichthyosaur, but that Bobby, he knows his stuff in that part of the country. Yeah, what he said... Isurus, most likely. By the way, while any group I am in rarely qualifies for "gentlemen", there are many womenfolk on this forum who might also have some right answers for ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members Markalan Posted November 2, 2010 Author New Members Share Posted November 2, 2010 Here is what I obtained from the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles CA The specimen you have is a series of trunk vertebrae from a considerable size bony fish. It's not my area of expertise and, in fact, I'm not sure how much further you can take the identification. From the appearance and its location, it's probably from the middle Miocene Altamira Shale Member of the Monterey Formation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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