Plesiosaur Vert?

[Tony Eaton]

The only Kamp Ranch (middle Turonion / upper Cretaceous)collecting spots I know of are incredibly picked over. I went over two hours today with virtually no fossils found, and walking back to the car before dark in defeat before I realized the other teeth hunters overlooked this vertabra sitting right on top of the clay. Looks like a bull dozer pushed it along and dropped in where I found it (broken up a bit).

Anyway, I think it is a plesiosaur, perhaps Elasmosaurus? Curious what other opinions are.

Both sides are slightly concave. There is a nutrient "hole" on each side. As I have seen with Kamp Ranch xiphactinus verts I have found in years past, this vert too appears partially digested as it slants to one side like a partially melted candle.

Edited October 16, 2009 by Tony Eaton

[Ramo]

I think it might be a plesiosaur vert. It sounds like you know X-fish, and if it's concave on both ends, and not X-fish that just about only leaves plesiosaur.

BTW I have a shark tooth place that gets picked over hard, and have found mosasaur verts that people have walked all around looking for just shark teeth.

[Xiphactinus]

Tony -

It looks a lot like a dinosaur vert that we found in Kansas a couple of years back. The one we found was a tail vert from a nodasaur - Niobrarasaurus. They are really rare. The slant you mention is what is making me think dino. You might send a picture to Mike Everhart at Oceans of Kansas. Here's a picture of ours. Donated to the Sternberg Museum in Hays, Kansas.