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Mystery Fossil at Fern Glen formation Imperial, Missouri
rmcwilson posted a topic in General Fossil Discussion
I am seeking help identifying this pea-sized fossil that eroded out of the Fern Glen formation in Imperial, Missouri. Thanks in advance -
Back on January 29th, in a Peace River location that has had a huge amount of digging activity, a fossil buddy and I were finding a few isolated undug pockets and small shark teeth that were introduced in the last floods. Around 11am, he shouted loudly and lifted up this extraordinary find, which both of us later agreed should not have been there.. it was on the clay layer below a gravel , sand, mud mix of approximately 18 inches. This tooth had not moved for 100s (1000s) of year and since the area was well dug, should have been found years ago. Since his children are completely uninterested in any fossil finds, he sells 99% of everything/anything he finds and friends get a 25% discount over wholesales prices ( that which a dealer will offer him). I saw him and the tooth again at our fossil club meeting last night, and decided to buy it -- so you all get to see it. Questions below: I like the fact that it has some of the root, shown in the last photo. I believe this to be a lower jaw tooth based on size, and someone in the Fossil club indicated Imperial rather than Columbian Mammoth. Question #1 -- It seems pathological -- is it? It does not seem that the chewing surface laid flat in the lower jaw. Look at the amazing steep slope on the chewing running straight into the top of the roots. It is hard to understand how this tooth "fit" into the jaw. Question #2 - size is 6 inches x 6 inches x5.5 inches (last is length of chewing surface). From my experience this is a rather small mammoth tooth even for a lower. Does that mean juvenile? I am pretty pleased with this new acquisition, even though I did not find it myself.. SS
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