Deer Molar?

[DatBlackD]

found in top soil in connecticut. could this be a deer enamel mlar cap? or is it the end of a joint like a knee or elbow. is it from a deer and is it fossilized. thank you.

-Robert

[Harry Pristis]

found in top soil in connecticut. could this be a deer enamel mlar cap? or is it the end of a joint like a knee or elbow. is it from a deer and is it fossilized. thank you.

-Robert

This appears to be the epiphysis to the proximal end of a phalanx, perhaps a deer phalanx, depending on the size.

"Fossilized" is really a meaningless term which is often substituted for a more useful term such as "mineralized." Is your epiphysis a fossil? Could be. Can't tell from the minimal info you've provided.

Welcome to the forum, Robert.

[tracer]

i agree with the id of the type of bone and it would be probably from an animal that was under around a year old when it died, because the joint where this broke off is where growth occurs and when the animal reaches a certain age the joint ossifies and fuses. please put a ruler or coin or something with your pictures for size reference. it isn't all that easy sometimes to be accurate in identifying partial bones. just looking at how big i think it might be from the little bits of your fingers showing, it might be a bit large for a young deer and could have been from a different artiodacytl.

[DatBlackD]

thank you to all, i relisead last night that it was probably the end that connects to a knee or elbow. my fear was somebody chicken lunch. it is a circle, so a diameter of 1.5 in. is it minearalized? and there is an "X" pattern on one side, is that natuarall or man made? thank you!

-Robert

[tracer]

1.5 inch diameter gets it up more in the bison/cow type range in size. the "x" pattern was nature's way of keeping the growth "joint" properly aligned so it didn't dislocate too easily while the animal was growing. sort of a trade-off in structural integrity. the "groove" on the real articulation part of it performed a similar function. keeps the joint from slipping laterally too much when the animal changes direction while running.

as for the bone being mineralized, it's hard to tell from your pictures. bones start out about 70% mineralized, and the conditions after they're buried determine whether mineral is added, taken away, or sort of left the same. there's perhaps a tiny bit of "shine" or gloss to some spots on the bone in your picture, which sometimes can indicate the bone has gotten some fairly good mineralization, but it's hard to tell without having the thing in hand. if it's just pure bone it should be fairly light. if it's dense and heavy like a rock, then mineral has been added.