Harry Pristis Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 Here is a pic of some bones which I've collected in the SE of the USA. Similar bones can be found (theoretically) over a wide area east of the Rockies. Suggestion: Start by identifying the ORDER, then try to ID the FAMILY. So, help out here with an ID. Get all four correct and win a golden kudo! -------Harry Pristis http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 Just a stab in the dark - are these perissodactyl astragali? The far right one sort of strikes me as tapir-like, but then again I haven't found any TX tapir material to compare to. Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted September 6, 2007 Author Share Posted September 6, 2007 Hi, Dan . . . No, and No. These four (two Miocene, two Pleistocene) critters are believed to be more closely related to whales than to tapirs. And yet, they (three out of four, anyway) are common fossils. Three different Families are represented there. Big hints! I've probably given the answer away. -----Harry Pristis http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted September 6, 2007 Share Posted September 6, 2007 See, I told you I didn't know squat! Hehehe. Are the middle ones bison and camel? Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted September 7, 2007 Author Share Posted September 7, 2007 Excellent, Dan! The center two astragali, L to R, are Bison and Camel (Hemiauchenia or Paleolama). That makes them, all of 'em, Artiodactyls. This is a characteristic shape. There is more to be said about the other two just from the image, based on Dan's correct identification. Then there is the largest astragalus. Think about an Artiodactyl much larger than a Bison that may be Miocene or Pleistocene. Dan, can you use this thread to ID the astragalus with the adherent matrix which you asked about in another thread? -----Harry Pristis http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Honestly the bison and camel astraguli look pretty close in form to me. Are there specific diagnostic features I should be looking for to distinguish them? Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worthy 55 Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Dang ! missed this one. :) It's my bone!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cris Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 One on the far right from a modern deer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted September 8, 2007 Author Share Posted September 8, 2007 Deer is certainly a reasonable guess, Cris. Deer is an another artiodactyl, and the resemblance of a deer astragalus to the other astragali is undeniable. The astragalus on the far right is considerably larger than a deer, as you can see from the image below that shows the bone in question with a deer astragalus. I will post the identifications tomorrow after everyone has a chance tonight to make their IDs (that's what most bone collectors do on Saturday night, isn't it? ). --------Harry Pristis http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worthy 55 Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 Far right Llama! 8) 8) It's my bone!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted September 9, 2007 Author Share Posted September 9, 2007 Excellent, Worthy! This is another camel astragalus, this one from the Late Miocene Bone Valley phosphates in Southcentral Florida. The common camel in those deposits is the Lamine species Hemiauchenia sp. No golden kudo this time, but it was a good group effort to identify three of the four astragali. The fourth bone, the largest is extremely rare in Florida -- it might be considered rare anywhere. It is from the giant hog-like Entelodont, Daeodon (=Dinohyas) from the Early Miocene. The complete skeleton is known from the Agate Bone Bed in Western Nebraska. Imagine "Hogzilla" being twelve feet long and seven feet tall at the shoulder with a skull that is thirty-five inches long! (The actual family relationship with hogs--the Suidae--is debatable, however.) So, the ID's of the bones are: Entelodont (Daeodon) Bison Camel Camel Here is a line-drawing of a Daeodon skull along with a pic of the jaw of an earlier (much smaller) predecessor of Daeodon, Archaeotherium, from the Badlands of SD. ------Harry Pristis 1 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 Never woulda guess it :-[ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted September 10, 2007 Author Share Posted September 10, 2007 Anson . . . There is an account of Daeodon in Florida, including illustrations, in THE FOSSIL VERTEBRATES OF FLORIDA, edited by Richard Hulbert. Every vertebrate collector in the USA should own this book. I say in the USA because Florida produces so much vertebrate material that collectors everywhere love to display. The book is written for the educated layman collector, and it is loaded with good information that can make collecting much more enjoyable. It treats everything from boney fish to giant flightless birds to whales. Buy two copies: one to put back for when the first copy is worn out from use!! ----Harry Pristis 1 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worthy 55 Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 This thing?????? 8) 8) 8) It's my bone!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 Harry, I already own that book, I haven't read it all yet... but I'm working on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted September 10, 2007 Author Share Posted September 10, 2007 I believe that's the critter, Worthy. Cuddly, huh! Here is a lower canine from Daeodon hollandi. It's other teeth are equally impressive. -----Harry Pristis http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted September 10, 2007 Share Posted September 10, 2007 now thats what i call a tooth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worthy 55 Posted September 11, 2007 Share Posted September 11, 2007 Harry their so cuddly, I'll take two!!! LOL ;D ;D It's my bone!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now