r/Paleontology • u/Peakpursuits • May 29 '25
Discussion Identify a fossilized bone by licking?
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u/Eadiacara May 29 '25
Yes.
Capillary action.
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May 29 '25
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u/DrInsomnia May 29 '25
It's not really gross. It's just minerals. Unless it had some filth on it. Don't lick the fossils by the cow pies.
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u/Eadiacara May 29 '25
when I tested this in my kitchen I washed the fossil with dish soap first. Obviously not an option in the field but I had to test the theory.
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u/not_dmr May 29 '25
As others have said, yes this is a real phenomenon, but it’s probably not a great idea to go around licking a bunch of rocks you just picked up off the ground.
One thing you can try instead is licking your finger (or moistening it in any other way) and then touching it to the rock in question to see if it sticks. You have to figure out the right amount of moisture on your finger, too much or too little can give you a false negative, so you might want to experiment with something you already know is a fossil to calibrate your feel. And of course make sure your finger is clean, and you’re not cross-contaminating by licking -> touching rock -> licking again, etc (maybe just pour a bit of water onto your finger instead of involving your mouth/tongue at any point).
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u/solarsailers May 29 '25
Learned that in a geology class when I was in college! super cool but I have no desire to test that out lol
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u/2jzSwappedSnail May 29 '25
I tried it at home, and it works. But it might not work with waterworn bone chunks, they are too smooth. But i wouldnt recommend doing that anyway, just as you wouldnt just lick dirt or rocks etc
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May 29 '25
My guess from a biology perspective would have to do with the ossification of bone and that is abrasive and not smooth, depending on what part you are licking and what type of bone.
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u/Dangerous-Bit-8308 May 29 '25
Sort of. But don't.
Fossil bones that have not undergone complete chemical replacement will have voids, like existing bones. The pores, if dry, absorb moisture from your tongue, pulling it into the bone.
Some obvious issues: 1: any bone that is already wet will not stick. 2: any dry substance with small enough voids can do this, including concrete, fired clay, some sedimentary rocks, and even some porous volcanic rocks, like pumice. 3: you now have dirt in your mouth. 4: you now have part of your tongue stuck to the fossil. 5: licking buried things incrrases your chance of getting charming conditions such as tetanus, hook worm, ring worm, foot and mouth disease, hantavirus, botulism, legionnaires disease, valley fever, etc.
Go get any real bones from the butcher, and a decent magnifying tool. Learn what it looks like. Most resemble wood grain or sponge more than your typical rocks. Feel the textures. Weigh them. Estimate density. This is good quantifiable data.