Postcranial bones are found more often than skulls, but they can be harder to identify since they don’t have such diagnostic characteristics (like teeth). So, any idea what this piece of postcranial skeleton is and what it comes from?
As usual you can put your answers below and I will do my best to respond (within my technological and temporal constraints). I’m sure some of the other biology types will be willing and able to give guidance. Good luck!
Zygoma 
L hum of O. aries?
I agree with you!
Nope – I’m afraid that’s not what this is from!
this a Rattite?
Nope, it’s mammal
Robust, weight-bearing, not built for speed. Pig?
This looks familiar as something from which meat has been carved …. So I am going with sheep. Leg o’lamb, or more likely mutton. Which leg? Front I think ….
… sits back and waits for rIghtful scorn …. No – back leg because of the polish on the rounded bit
It’s not sheep – although it does look quite sheepish 😉
OK, now when I hold the sheep bone up aganst it, there are some slight differences but the size is the same.
The problem with postcrania! It’s from a similar sized animal.
This one is 17cm. I have a 8 month old red deer hind humerus which is about 20cm, so it is too big to be red but the proportions are right. I have a young roe deer one which is about 16cm but roe is much thinner. So I am going to stick with deer but say axis or sika.
It’s not from a deer, but you picked up on a couple of important points – the proportions indicate something about size that length does not always reflect – I will explain what I mean in the answer on Monday!
I am going to guess pig.
I am looking forward to the technical stuff on Monday. Does this animal have 6 more chromasomes than a sheep?
Well, I had to go and check chromosome numbers and now I know I have fewer chromosomes than a pineapple.
No – it actually has fewer.
Goat femur