9.2" Partial Dinosaur (Struthiomimus?) Metatarsal with Bite Marks

Partial Dinosaur (Struthiomimus?) Metatarsal with Bite Marks #229616

This is a partial metatarsal (foot) bone of an Ornithomimid theropod dinosaur (Struthiomimus sedens?), collected from our partner's lease on the Lance (Creek) Formation in Wyoming. The bone preservation is nice, though the proximal end is missing and wasn't recovered. An exciting feature of this bone is the bite/gnaw marks on the proximal-anterior edge, which may explain why the proximal half of the bone is missing.

It can be difficult to distinguish species from an isolated bone such as this. While there are multiple Ornithomimids that come out of the Hell Creek Formation, this lease produces a significant amount of Struthiomimus material, indicating that this is very likely from Struthiomimus.

There are repaired cracks through the diaphysis and glue stabilization in spots where the bone fragmented. A couple small spots of gap fill restoration can be found scattered throughout the diaphysis as well.

Struthiomimus were long-legged, bipedal, ostrich-like dinosaurs with toothless beaks. They reached estimated sizes of approximately 13 feet in length. It is thought that due to their abundance, they must have been herbivores or omnivores.

Struthiomimus sedens skeleton in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History

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