Turtle rock...

[curious kat]

...here's the rock that appears to be a turtle. It's not perfect & does have some damage. The under side has a depression that looks like it may have been used for something. It's shown from 3 views.

 

[GatorBoy]

Good luck I'll check back in the morning

 

[carcusrex]

You know what curious kat, I am going to say its not a vert. I think it is a seed/nut grindingstone. Though it is similar to a vert from a large sea creature it has lots of details that dont actually look like fossil bone. Looking at the picture 4of5 it shows a large fresh chip, I can see a granite/quartz stone type matrix material with black specks. If it was bone it would have more of a porous bone structure. Then on picture 1of1 the groove cut under the lip is too perfect to be part of a bone structure. I think that maybe a Native American did a little carving on his/her favorite grinder.

 

[outlawatheart]

sometimes fossils are compressed out of their natural state...sort of like when you see flat dinosaur fossils

Thanks GatorBoy for enlightening me on that! Sorry again for thinking you guys were joking. I looked at some shark vertebrae and they have "rings" like a tree & I don't see any on this...would it still be from a shark? Like outlaw said, it's not thick like a whales is, so guess not whale?....Do you think this could be a vertebrae that was re-tooled by someone? On the ones I've googled, they have a much smaller hole in the center, this one is about the size of a man's thumb.

 

[outlawatheart]

it does look like a turtle kat and it is a questionable shape to be natural. Stick to your guns and call it a turtle. But I would post it in the fossil section or maybe one of the moderators could do it for you. Heres a pic that I would of swore was an artifact when I first found it

......OMG....guess maybe the joke's on me? ......wow...what can I say...sorry guys !!! Never would have thought of that in a million years, will look into it. How can you tell if it is one? Looks just like rock/stone! What about the hot needle test? Darn thing looks like a turtle....

 

[tomclark]

I would think marine mammal vertebra. It's thin compared to land dwellers, who need more disc height to handle upright gravity instead of swimming.

Dolphin? Manatee?? LITTLE whale? dunno boom.
Centrum = Body of vertebra

 

[GatorBoy]

New Mexico has dinosaur fossils there is a possibility it's a Mesozoic sea creature.

 

[tomclark]

Ichthyosaurus??

Still, 'tis a Centrum boom.

Google images for "Sea mammal centrum" "Sea mammal vertebra" and "Ichthyosaurus centrum" "Ichthy. vertebra" for examples.

 

[curious kat]

.....I'm really thankful for everyone's idea's about this "turtle'ish" thing ha! Maybe it's both!? Maybe....many, many, many years ago someone found a "vert" while gathering walnuts and thought "wow this kind of looks like a turtle, maybe with a little touch here and there it will be"....and they did and it is? I don't know if you can see, but there appears to be a "mouth" line maybe etched in!? A question about it being a "vert".....there are 3 bumps in front (2 legs & head place) and 3 bumps in the back (2 legs & tail place)....is that what a vert has?....again, thanks guys

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

The Paleontology Portal


i like the turtle idea...
is there much sandstone in the area? it could be both a fossil and a worked piece...just an idea

 

[curious kat]

Yes, maybe.....that's the point I was trying to make...could be both!

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

my first thought when i saw the photograph was a nutting metate'...

 

[GatorBoy]

I don't see any evidence of any human work done to it.
The porous material in the indention if made by grinding would be pulverized and visibly smoother

 

[newnan man]

I got it, it's a giant turtle vertebra!

 

[GatorBoy]

I got it, it's a giant turtle vertebra!

It is about time somebody said that good one

 

[curious kat]

...haha..good one newnan man! Here's pictures of what might be a "mouth" & up close of broke part, see what you think GatorBoy. Yes pippin, thought that myself, no matter what it is, think it was used for something like that.

 

[GatorBoy]

This thing is absolutely puzzling.. In that last photo of the mouth I think I see striations in the indention on the top it really may be a turtle matate.

 

[curious kat]

...OK got more pictures from the side, don't think I had any before. Took these outside....maybe this will help?

 

[GarretDiggingAz]

Looks like a sand which. Lol. It could definitely have been a vertebra used as a tool by a Native American. They just like any of us have used things found and then modified for our use. So it's a dissolved vertibra turtle matate. That looks kinda like a fossilized s'more.

 

[SouthJerseyJim]

I think its a Fossilized Vertebra. Looks like the "head" is some kind of vertebra defect.

 

[curious kat]

.....you know GDA.. first thing I thought when I saw it was "hamburger"...so know what you mean! lol Pretty sure it was found & used by NA, but not sure of what it's made of yet. Didn't think it was bone at all by looking at it, just rock....but then don't know much of anything about vertebra, so am trusting you guys who do...so thanks everyone!