I Need Help to Identify this Fossil

Mods, please move to the appropriate forum...

My husband's uncle was a rock hound and when he passed, he left my husband with the entire collection.
I took these pics today and I apologize, because many are fuzzy. It seems his uncle cut into the specimen and then polished it.

Interesting. Do you have the measurements. Something to compare it to in size? It may help to know that.

Des

reply to post by Destinyone

it's about 3 inches across. Thank you for your reply

reply to post by Clearskies


Most rock hounds I know have their collections meticulously labelled.

Without measuring tape in the photos to show size, it's guesswork if one were to say this looks like the upper part of a femur, the ball that fits into the hip-socket.

Could also be humerus.

No telling what possible animal it could have come from without size, and also without context of where it was found at what strata layer, surrounding geology of site, etc.
Context when classifying fossil remains is important.

Strata lets you know if it was pre or post dinosaur.depending on the the boundary layer.

Edit: when you say 3 inches across, could you just post another pic, maybe of one where you're holding in your hand? That way we get a size comparison between you, the human animal, and whatever other animal this might have been.

reply to post by Clearskies


It does look like, but not limited to, the femur ball joint, cut and polished. Just my guess....

reply to post by Druscilla


He was far from meticulous. We found this in 5 gallon buckets mixed with arrowheads and geodes.

An archaeology (also anthropology) professor at my college said he thought it was dino poop.

reply to post by Clearskies


Interesting. It doesn't look like typical corprolite, but, it's a possibility. If a prof looked at it, and said corprolite then it's most likely not fossilized bone.

There's certain characteristics to fossilized bone that are pretty evident on hands-on examination that an anthro prof would be familiar with.

If not corprolite, this could just be some pretty limestone, the stuff that forms stalagmites.

reply to post by Druscilla


So you don't think it could be eggs?

reply to post by Clearskies


I'm doubtful. If geo-anthro prof shrugged with a guess in the direction of corprolite, chances are it's either fossilized poo, or, just an interestingly shaped mineral.

Characteristics for fossilized bone, eggs, or any remains are usually pretty apparent to anyone that's had any field training. Characteristics for corprolite on the other hand, since it is poo, is closer to fossilized dirt, ie mineral deposits like limestone.

Possibly strange question; did geo-anthro prof lick, or taste the sample? Have you licked or tasted the sample? This is not a joke question.
If you lick this rock, what does it taste like?

Rocks and minerals have different tastes, and knowing them can be useful in the field in identifying the difference between bone, fossilized bone, fossil fragment, and just an interestingly shaped rock.

reply to post by Druscilla


No he didn't.
I just did, ewwwww and its kinda sweetish, bitter and i think my tongue is numb now......

It honestly doesn't look like any fossil ive ever seen, and i have a pretty large fossil collection. it does slightly resemble a coprolite(fossil turd) but im more inclined to think it's a mineral nodule. is there any way that you could take clearer pics of it, or make the smaller ones at the bottom larger?

reply to post by lordpiney


Ill try tomorrow.

reply to post by Clearskies


I'm sorry it was icky.

If I recall correctly, fossils should taste a little salty? I could very well be wrong on that.

There is, however, this bit I found about licking fossils:
Licking fossils

Hopefully that helps, if anything to let you know that I wasn't trying to punk you into doing something silly.
Licking and taste testing fossils is a legitimate field test.

Here's another link describing the lick-test at the end: Smithsonianmag Stone or Bone?

My experience with tasting different rocks in the field (don't laugh) leads me to believe that if the taste is bitter tipically it is a carbonate rock. I'm throughing my guess into the arena that what you have there is some sort of see creature. possibly a sponge. The pictures are very fuzzy so its hard to tell. One clue is where the fossil was cut. The fact that it was cut on that axis and the structure revealed is what leads me to believe its a sponge.

very cool. almost looks like a fossilized eyeball! neat find.

New pictures!

reply to post by Clearskies


Well to me it looks like a Botryoidal formation (globular external form resembling a bunch of grapes) that was cut or broken...

It definitely resembles some fossilized material I found in Mammoth Mountain area, which I presumed was formed from some kind of ancient "clay pot" (kind of like the heated clay pots in Yellowstone). The pieces I have range from about 1" x 2" to 6" x 3" in size some resemble your piece, others have way more "bubbles" ... when I broke some of them open it had the same veiny appearance in most, although some actually contained small crystal pockets .

...and I wouldn't recommend licking rocks because there are plenty of Toxic Minerals

and if it is fossilized bone it would probably be a socket joint

reply to post by Clearskies


Explanation: S&F!

I think it is either the head of a humerus or more likely a femur bone ...

































Personal Disclosure: And this seems to be the closest similar picture that I can find ...





But I have no clue as to which species it could be from?!

I hope this helps.

Bump!
Want to get this out there some more.
The new pictures are so much more detailed.