MOROPUS Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 This is a dermal scute from...A tortoise? A croc?(too thin...), or other thing....?Can you id it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 This is a dermal scute from...A tortoise? A croc?(too thin...), or other thing....?Can you id it. It is the osteoderm from a crocodilian. Technically, this is NOT a scute. A scute is the keratinous covering of an osteoderm in life. These keratinous scutes are never preserved as a fossil. -------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...
Members geofossil Posted December 29, 2007 Members Share Posted December 29, 2007 Yes, part of the croc's armour. You might be able to use a needle to clean the specimen to get more detail. These are photos of croc osteoderms of the same age as those from your Moroccan specimen. These are from here in Alberta. We also find this time of armour: Species of crocodilia vary over the last couple hundred million years but in general most of the elements are consistent over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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