AboutJohn J. Shea Expertise Questions about Old World prehistoric archaeology (mainly Europe, Near East, and Africa during the Paleolithic period/Pleistocene Epoch).
IMPORTANT: I do not give advice about colleges. I do not appraise the value of artifacts or fossils.
Experience University professor of anthropology/archaeology since 1991.
Dozens of publications in peer-review anthropology journals.
Director of archaeological-paleontological expeditions and excavations in Israel, Jordan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
See my main profile under Allexperts` "Anthropology" section.
Professional website: http://www.sunysb.edu/anthro/staff/jshea.shtml
Personal website: http://www.sunysb.edu/anthro/Shea/Shea%20pers%20webpage.htm
Question QUESTION: Hello, my name is Jenus. I have a question that I hope you can answer. Attached is a photo of a skeleton that was sent to me by a friend of mine in hopes that I would be able to tell him what it is. After researching, the closest thing I could find online is a moa skeleton. I'm not asking you to put a commercial value on it, I'm just curious and would like to know exactly what it is. Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
ANSWER: Dear Jenus
(I answered this question about a week ago, but Allexperts tells me it did not receive the message.)
Definitely not a moa, and definitely not a bird.
It is a seal skeleton on which the front limbs are missing. I cannot see what the rear limbs look like because of the way the photo is cropped.
Sincerely
John Shea
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hello Mr. Shea. Thank you for your insight on my photo. I just wanted to let you know that the skeleton was found on the Arizona/Utah border near Kanab. Are you 100% sure it is a seal? Thanks.
Answer Hi Jenus
This shows the importance of context in archaeology and the perils of making assumptions.
On the basis of the first question about it being a moa, I assumed the picture was from New Zealand (where moas lived) and in that case a partial seal skeleton was a possibility, because seals are common there too.
Now that you tell me it is from near Kanab, Utah, that opens up a whole different range of possibilities in terms of terrestrial mammals. Making my 'best guess' from the photo, I would now guess it to be a deer, a sheep, or a goat, possibly a dog. A good clear picture of the skull would clear things up instantly. It is just too blurry in the photo attached to the original question.
Bear in mind that there is a big animal rescue operation out there in Kanab (called "Best Friends" I think), and it is not beyond the realm of possibility that this is part of some exotic animal that died there.
Cheers,
John Shea
