Can anyone help with this??

G

gobblesandgrunts

Full Member
Dec 29, 2019
115
120
Middle Tn
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Found this a few years ago while I was hunting in the woods, deer not relics, looked down and it was just laying there. Can anyone tell me what this is or maybe what it's a repop of? Thought it looked cool so I kept it. 20200105_210343.jpg20200105_210334.jpg20200105_210416.jpg20200105_210627.jpg20200105_210620.jpg
 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges - Grab it through Amazon!
Sort by date Sort by votes
Upvote 0
Sorry just checked my post. I am in NC this weekend but will take more pictures when I get home. I was curious and I did measure it though the other day and it was 2.5in I believe from base to tip. I'll get the picture up with a ruler soon as I can. Idk anyone that has any experience with museum type fossils or who I should contact.
 

Upvote 0
gobblesandgrunts said:
Sorry just checked my post. I am in NC this weekend but will take more pictures when I get home. I was curious and I did measure it though the other day and it was 2.5in I believe from base to tip. I'll get the picture up with a ruler soon as I can. Idk anyone that has any experience with museum type fossils or who I should contact.
Click to expand...

Look for a local natural history museum or university.
 

Upvote 0
wilcam47 said:
maybe its the real deal but if its a black bear its not from this century... black bear claws are no where near that size. I'd say dinosaur of some sort if its real...
Click to expand...

I agree a modern black bear claw is nowhere near that size. If real, I would also say dinosaur fossil.
 

Upvote 0
Here are the 2 pics side by side with the replica. Its very close but not an exact match. I think I would eliminate the bear claw fossil idea because of size. It very much resembles the dinosaur.

claw comparison.jpg



Have you eliminated fossilized pork chop bone lol?
 

Upvote 0
Bigcypresshunter said:
Here are the 2 pics side by side with the replica. Its very close but not an exact match. I think I would eliminate the bear claw fossil idea because of size. It very much resembles the dinosaur.

View attachment 1789150



Have you eliminated fossilized pork chop bone lol?
Click to expand...
Lol seems like I shouldn't count anything out at this point
 

Upvote 0
I'm going to get in touch with a local historian tomorrow and see what he thinks about it. No colleges are within an hour away or museums
 

Upvote 0
I’m a longtime fossil collector, but have stayed out of this debate so far. Could I just point out however that (if this was found in Tennessee) dinosaur material would be exceptionally rare and an intact claw would be even more rare. As far as I know Tennessee has only yielded five dinosaur bones and they were all from Edmontosaurus, a duck-billed Hadrosaur. There have been additional small numbers of fragmentary remains that could not be assigned to specific dinosaurs, but also believed to be Hadrosaurid. These were vegetarian animals which did not have claws like the OP’s found item, which is clearly from a carnivore.

I agree that it has a dinosaurid-like appearance. Also probably too large to be from a bear, particularly since it appears to be the bone core of a claw which has lost its outer keratin sheath. I wouldn’t rule it out though. If fossilised, other megafauna such as sloths and armadillos etc can be ruled out from its shape. However (assuming it isn’t a replica of something) there is another possibility which wouldn’t be unlikely for Tennessee. A sabre-tooth cat claw. It does at least have resemblance and is around the right size. These are Smilodon claws, but there were other sabre-tooth cat genera and species in a variety of sizes and morphologies.

Smilodon.jpg

I’ll be very interested to hear what the experts have to say, but if it is a real claw (and it certainly looks like it is) that’s where my money would be. If it is a fossil, even as cat not dinosaur, it would still be a rather special find.
 

Upvote 0
Red-Coat said:
I agree that it has a dinosaurid-like appearance. Also probably too large to be from a bear, particularly since it appears to be the bone core of a claw which has lost its outer keratin sheath. I wouldn’t rule it out though. If fossilised, other megafauna such as sloths and armadillos etc can be ruled out from its shape. However (assuming it isn’t a replica of something) there is another possibility which wouldn’t be unlikely for Tennessee. A sabre-tooth cat claw. It does at least have resemblance and is around the right size. These are Smilodon claws, but there were other sabre-tooth cat genera and species in a variety of sizes and morphologies.

View attachment 1789503

I’ll be very interested to hear what the experts have to say, but if it is a real claw (and it certainly looks like it is) that’s where my money would be. If it is a fossil, even as cat not dinosaur, it would still be a rather special find.
Click to expand...

I think you may have hit the nail. This has a very strong resemblance to a giant ground sloth toe "hook". The mega-sloths are long extinct so this is likely fossilzed.
 

Upvote 0
Kray Gelder said:
He said 2 1/2 inches. Bear claw.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't rule out bear, but that's pretty darn big is it not? If it is bear, the curvature suggests front claw rather than rear, which for black bears is typically 1-2 inches. I could easily believe 2 and a half inches for a grizzly, but there's no history of those in Tennessee and it would have to have been manuported. The eastern part of the state has a fossil record of short-faced bears and some of those (such as Arctodos genus) were massive - up to 12 feet tall, and 6 feet at the shoulder. As far as I know, Tennessee has only yielded short-faced bear fossil specimens of the smaller genus Plionartcus, which didn't get beyond the size of a large dog.
 

Upvote 0
Kray Gelder said:
He said 2 1/2 inches. Bear claw.
Click to expand...

I just measured a nickel and its 7/8" and you could line up more than 3 nickels on this fossil. My eyes visualize this fossil as over 2-1/2 inch in length. Maybe 2-1/2 inch past the fur?

bear claw not.jpg
 

Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.

"Clover Leaf" shaped item found in my 1900 Farmhouse yard.

⬅️ Previous Thread

IDENTIFICATION HELP WANTED

Next Thread ➡️

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)
Metal Detecting Stuff

Latest Discussions

Back
Top