Can anybody identify these bones?

[DoctorCongo]

I am currently doing an osteology module at university and the assessment includes writing a report on an adult and juvenile skeleton. I found a pair of bones in the juvenile (aged 5-6) and as the photos depict they exhibit a peculiar curving. I think they may be phalanges or metacarpals from thumb which display some sort of pathology, but as I am new to this I very well may be wrong. Any help in identifying the bones and possible pathology would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

 

[imatfaal]

need better pictures.

[DoctorCongo]

yeah, It wouldn't let me upload them as individual Jpegs, so i had to put them on paint and upload through that. Il have a try at getting better ones, any suggestions how I might do that?

yeah, It wouldn't let me upload them as individual Jpegs, so i had to put them on paint and upload through that. Il have a try at getting better ones, any suggestions how I might do that?

Ok I replicated this post on another forum where I could upload better pics, I hope this isn't breaking any sort of forum etiquette, I'm new to this also. The link is below, Cheers.

 

http://biology-forums.com/index.php?topic=294434.new;sent#new

[Robittybob1]

I am currently doing an osteology module at university and the assessment includes writing a report on an adult and juvenile skeleton. I found a pair of bones in the juvenile (aged 5-6) and as the photos depict they exhibit a peculiar curving. I think they may be phalanges or metacarpals from thumb which display some sort of pathology, but as I am new to this I very well may be wrong. Any help in identifying the bones and possible pathology would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

 

Could they be the bone from the phalanx of canines? They look like the bone that is in the claw of a dog. But you wouldn't call a 5-6 year dog a juvenile???

[DoctorCongo]

yes that is possible, we were told that not all the remains are necessarily human due to issues of taphonomy. I'll try to find out what canine phalanxes look like. thanks for your input.

[imatfaal]

yes that is possible, we were told that not all the remains are necessarily human due to issues of taphonomy. I'll try to find out what canine phalanxes look like. thanks for your input.

 

Taphonomy - the study of decay and fossilization?

 

s. Phalanx pl. Phalanges

 

To identify bones you need to be able to see the general shape - which we can. And also zoom in on the tuberosities etc. The other forum needs you to log on to get a decent size picture

 

read this and skyhooks response - and you should be able to post them here

 

http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/50773-posting-pictures/#entry555021

Phalanges and meta-carpals/-tarsals tend to be "bone-shaped" bones - ie narrow in the middle with bulges at each end; the distal less so. I quite like the look of canine distal phalanges (but agree that 5-6 years is not juvenile).

 

Thumb distal phalanges sounds like a good call. What size are they?

[DoctorCongo]

 

Taphonomy - the study of decay and fossilization?

 

s. Phalanx pl. Phalanges

 

To identify bones you need to be able to see the general shape - which we can. And also zoom in on the tuberosities etc. The other forum needs you to log on to get a decent size picture

 

read this and skyhooks response - and you should be able to post them here

 

http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/50773-posting-pictures/#entry555021

Phalanges and meta-carpals/-tarsals tend to be "bone-shaped" bones - ie narrow in the middle with bulges at each end; the distal less so. I quite like the look of canine distal phalanges (but agree that 5-6 years is not juvenile).

 

Thumb distal phalanges sounds like a good call. What size are they?

Yes, phalanges, my apologies, They are very small about 15mm which is around 2/3 of an inch. I was in labs again today examining the skeleton and me and my friend actually think they may be from a secondary skeleton that has remains recovered with the main juvenile skeleton. They appear similar to the bones my friend has in his skeleton which he had identified as part of the ischium. They seem to be a scaled down and slightly eroded version of my friends skeletons ischium, and I think they may be from a very young baby, so they would not have fused and would be very very small, I also have a small segment of tibia that is much smaller than it should be for the main skeleton aged roughly 5-6 years, so this what I'm leaning towards at the moment.

[imatfaal]

Yes, phalanges, my apologies, They are very small about 15mm which is around 2/3 of an inch. I was in labs again today examining the skeleton and me and my friend actually think they may be from a secondary skeleton that has remains recovered with the main juvenile skeleton. They appear similar to the bones my friend has in his skeleton which he had identified as part of the ischium. They seem to be a scaled down and slightly eroded version of my friends skeletons ischium, and I think they may be from a very young baby, so they would not have fused and would be very very small, I also have a small segment of tibia that is much smaller than it should be for the main skeleton aged roughly 5-6 years, so this what I'm leaning towards at the moment.

 

 

Very interesting - not something that had occurred to me. I have tried to find some xrays or photos but googling anything to do with pelvis and baby/fetal/infant and you get thousands of pictures of expectant mothers and none of the infant

I did find this though which may help you date your tibia

 

http://www.isuog.org/NR/rdonlyres/8FB3F18E-7A68-4DC4-809F-AFD9E49B262F/0/ChittyandAltmanBJOG2002.pdf

[Robittybob1]

 

Taphonomy - the study of decay and fossilization?

 

s. Phalanx pl. Phalanges

 

To identify bones you need to be able to see the general shape - which we can. And also zoom in on the tuberosities etc. The other forum needs you to log on to get a decent size picture

 

read this and skyhooks response - and you should be able to post them here

 

http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/50773-posting-pictures/#entry555021

Phalanges and meta-carpals/-tarsals tend to be "bone-shaped" bones - ie narrow in the middle with bulges at each end; the distal less so. I quite like the look of canine distal phalanges (but agree that 5-6 years is not juvenile).

 

Thumb distal phalanges sounds like a good call. What size are they?

Are they from a human? They definitely aren't tibias.