Claw or tooth?

[Jmhansard]

Found this on the beach in Louisiana. It is 2in long, 3/4 in wide at base. It is porous like fossilized bone.

[Jmhansard]

Added other pics

[Hoss]

You need to take better photos. It could be some type of fossil but your photos are out of focus with poor lighting.

[Jmhansard]

Sorry for the pics last night Hoss, added better pics this morning in natural lighting.

[tomclark]

Tilly Bone?

[clovisoid]

Shellman's side gig as Boneman... I had never heard of Tilly bone before, cool stuff between you and Painshill.

[painshill]

I mused on Tilly bone too Tom, but would be more comfortable about that if it was less symmetrical and had at least some remnant of the basal attachment below the bulbous portion. This kind of thing would be more usual:



For those wondering what we're talking about, "Tilly bones" (named after German-American palaeontologist Tilly Edinger) are neural or haemal spines that have detached from fish vertebra and which have a pathological deformity known as hyperstosis (thickening). It's rather common and may be part of the natural ageing process for many marine fish (notably jacks) or perhaps related to buoyancy control. Because they’re larger and denser than normal fish bones, they frequently turn up in clusters on beaches where wave action has sorted any fish remains by size/weight.

[Jmhansard]

[Lindenmeier-Man]

Interesting, I’d go with tooth...