What kind of critter used to be around this bone?

I found this bone in a little county park in Pennsylvania, near a stream. The pix (linked to the album so you can just click through in that tab) aren’t the greatest, but it’s hard to photograph. The first three show it from three different angles, and the fourth is so you can get a sense of how those holes go through.

Any animal anatomists out there? What bone is it, and from what kind of animal?

TIA.

I believe it’s an atlas bone (left), though I am not sure what kind of an animal. The atlas is the topmost bone in the spine.

Neat – thanks.

Can you even guess as to mammal vs. reptile vs. whatever? It seems too heavy to be avian.

Definitely mammalian. It has two facets for articulating with the skull. Reptiles and birds (which are technically also reptiles) have only a single articulation.

Based on the measuring tape, it’s huge. Just on size, my first guess would be a cow. The image I linked to is from a horse, and it doesn’t seem to match that exactly. I think it’s too big for deer or a dog.

This image of a cow skeleton shows the dorsal side of the atlas bone, but it doesn’t seem to match that well. Maybe it is a deer.

No – those are inches, not feet. It’s a tad under 4".

Yes, I know. A human atlas bone may be a couple of inches across. It’s huge for an atlas bone.

That’s still huge. The atlas is a single cervical vertebra. I think 4" would make it a little over twice the size of a human cervical vertebra, and the atlas is the smallest.

ETA: what Colibri said.

:smack:

Okay, gotcha.

Deer would make sense – there are definitely deer in the area. Also sheep in the field across the road, but I don’t see how a sheep atlas bone would make it down to where I found it, even if they slaughtered the sheep on the spot.

And for a second there I thought that was some of the biggest wood grain I’ve ever seen! Not to mention the widest tape measure! :stuck_out_tongue:

Probably still attached to some of the edible bits when it got there. Are there wolverines, wolves or other largish predators in your area?

Santo – you hush – I’m already feeling like a total idiot.

RNATB – not really. Lots of woods, but its a rural/exurban area – about an hour north of Philadelphia.

And I’m guessing it’s called that because it supports the head, in the same way Atlas was supposed to have supported the heavens. (Maybe?)

Sorry babe, I couldn’t help myself. If it makes ya feel any better, I’m like that IRL, too. :smiley:

Precisely.

It looks a bit worn or chewed on to me.

Exactly. The bone I think was first named in humans, referring to it holding up the globelike skull as Atlas was depicted holding up the world.

The next cervical vertebra below it is called the axis. The atlas and axis form a unit, and are rather distinct from the other cervical vertebrae.

Sheep still fall prey to coyotes and feral dogs, and some just up and die for no apparent reason. If it happens in a stretch of bad weather, scavengers could have it disassembled before the farmer even figures out what happened.

Colibri, this proves once again that you have no idea what you are talking about when it comes to these matters. It is obviously a “face bone” from a very young Pug dog.

:slight_smile:

Actually, I’ve been putting you all on. It’s clearly the pelvis of a garden gnome. It probably was eaten by someone’s cat. :stuck_out_tongue:

It’s definitely a bit banged up. There is one straight gash in it, though it’s not very deep.

As I said, though, I found this in a little park – no hunting there (though there are privately owned woods on the other side of the creek). Maybe someone field-dressed a deer? People walk their dogs along there, many of them offleash, so a dog could have gotten into some remains.

ETA: Oops, y’all have moved on to other theories. Never mind. :wink: