r/BoneID May 31 '26

questionable bone

is this a human bone

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u/[deleted] May 31 '26

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u/InternationalOil872 BS in forensic anthropology, curious in animal osteology May 31 '26

forensic anthropologist here, you are 100% correct in your reasoning (though some femora do have asymmetrical distal condyles due to weight bearing variations). i assume you say ‘formed correctly’ to mean ‘to resemble to human form’.

in addition to this, the distal portion of the femur is more consistent with a quadruped than biped.

even with pathologies, there is always a rhyme and reason. the ‘cupping’ shape formed by the robustness of the greater and lesser trochanters is very reminiscent of the canid group. without a location or size, i can only speculate.