Very unusual find.

[jnicholes]

Hello,

I have not been on the forum for a while. How is everyone? I am posting today because I found something rather unusual while I was exploring my front yard.

So in our front yard, we have this pine tree. The Pine trees branches go all the way to the ground. Just out of curiosity, I looked under the branches right on the ground near the trunk of the tree. I found something odd, but amazing. I am attaching a picture.



I found what looks like fossilized bones. A whole lot of very large ones. About 10 pieces. I have no idea what kind of bones they are, but a friend of mine who is a rockhound confirmed that they were bones. Here is a picture of all the bones I found.



If you need a close-up of each one, I will get them.

What do you think? Are they bones?

Any help identifying will be appreciated.

Jared

 

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[the_mad_cladder]

I’m no expert but I’m pretty sure If they were fossilized they would be like stone. Those still look like bone. I’m quessing a dog was eating a treat under a tree but it hard to say. They don’t look real old to me. It would be nice to see the other side of the large one.

 

[smokeythecat]

Well, those are big bones for a dog to chew on. Where you live makes a difference. If fossils, these would fit with what I've seen coming out of the southeast. Don't throw them out.

 

[A2coins]

That's kinda weird as long as there not human!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hope to hear from ya!!!

 

[A2coins]

Welcome back to tnet

 

[vpnavy]

..: Moved from Today's Finds! over to Forum: What Is It? for more exposure :..​

 

[RustyGold]

Not an expert but the bones look to be on the large size. Interesting..

 

[jnicholes]

Oh,

They actually are like stone. They have the same feel as stone, they have the same sound as stone when I knock on it, and it looks like bone. I actually know of a museum where I live called the Idaho museum of mining and geology. They told me that if I ever find something interesting, I can bring it in and they can identify it. I think I’m going to do that. I thought it would be interesting to show everyone here what I found and get your opinion on what I found. I am attaching a picture of the biggest piece I found. According to my father, it looks like part of a pelvis.





Any further opinions of what I found will be much appreciated. I will keep you updated for when I go to the Idaho museum of mining and geology.

Jared

 

[P.ALLEN]

Probably a genus or species or Pleistocene, Eocene, or Holocene mammal. There were tons of different types of animals in the United States during that time frame, the Black Hills are littered with different species of horse bones(Highly Highly Illegal to collect those) The only other explanation is that someone brought them to the area from another locale. Cool Find, and welcome.

Edit: It doesn't necessarily have to be a Mammal, Idaho is known to have dino fossils, so best bet...get it checked.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

WAG would be wooly mammoth, rhino, or some large land animal of the Quaternary Period (last 3 million years). Sloth, bison, etc.

 

[jnicholes]

Hello,

Illegal to collect those? The black hills are in South Dakota, I am in western Idaho. If they are horse bones, is it still illegal?

I don’t want to accidentally break the law.

Anyway, the museum opens tomorrow. I will take them over there tomorrow. Hopefully they can help me out.

I will keep you all updated,

Jared

 

[P.ALLEN]

no you are fine didn't mean to scare you, I was just adding that info about the Black Hills to show the fossil range.

 

[Rookster]

Looks like bones.old bones.

 

[Rookster]

That makes more sense than what I said.

 

[jnicholes]

Hello,

OK, so I got some good news. The museum that is able to analyze these will not open until April. I don’t know why. However, I was able to get a hold of a university in Kansas and they told me that if I email them pictures along with a description that they would forward it to their paleontologists for identification. Already took care of that, so I’m just waiting for them to get back.

Jared

 

[the_mad_cladder]

Keep us posted

 

[jnicholes]

Hello,

Here is an update. I talked with a paleontologist who runs a museum in Salt Lake City Utah. They said it could be one of two things. It could either be parts of a large prehistoric bison or woolly mammoth or it could be Sandstone. They would like to take a very close look at it because the pictures were not able to tell them. My mother and father are going down to Salt Lake and the bones that I found will be examined by a paleontologist on Thursday. We will know then.

Jared

 

[Sheperdess]

that's cool !

 

[NOLA_Ken]

Looks kind of like fossilized coral to me.

 

[BosnMate]

It looks like fossil bone to me, but that is just a guess. I'm thinking if they were found on top of the ground in your yard, that they have been brought in from someplace else. I have stuff like that in my yard that I brought in from some place else.