Fossil or tooth found today in a river sandbar. Help please =)

teddyrobo · May 25, 2009

Today walking on a sandbar on the Kansas River I came across this small looking bone. It's fossilized and I really can't tell if it's a large tooth that has been broken or maybe it's some sort of bone. I have pictures in relation to my hand to give size reference. Thank you for any help in a possible ID. =)

Harry Pristis · May 25, 2009

teddyrobo said:
Today walking on a sandbar on the Kansas River I came across this small looking bone. It's fossilized and I really can't tell if it's a large tooth that has been broken or maybe it's some sort of bone. I have pictures in relation to my hand to give size reference. Thank you for any help in a possible ID. =)

I can tell you that it is not a tooth. It appears to be the distal end of a tibia. It's way too small to be from a bison or cow, or even from a deer (the usual suspects on a gravel bar). I don't know what species this bone fragment represents, but it was not large -- raccoon-size, I'd say.

teddyrobo · May 25, 2009

Thank you for helping explain this to me. I was easily fooled into the tooth idea thinking that "broken" region with the hole might be the root part of the tooth with the hole where the nerves go in. However I was looking into herbavore teeth and many times they are ridged and the joint end of the bone was way too smooth.