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I participated in the Spring meeting of the Florida Paleontological Society this week end.. Saturday I was up at 5 am to drive to Gainesville and see some old friends including @digit. We had presentations from Paleontology students on their field projects and the treat of visiting the Paleontology research lab collections (Vert, Invert, Plants) under the guidance of UF experts. Dinner, discussion, and an auction in the evening . Saturday was jammed full. I have taken a set of photos which I'll share in another thread.. hopefully tomorrow. This is about Sunday. A field trip to Haile Quarry in Newberry, Fl. We are allowed in the Quarry for three hours and time flies when I am hunting fossils.. We moved twice looking in three sites.. I found many seashells and a few echinoids, including a gigantic one where I can not recall the name. I will likely get to a thread on my other finds Wednesday (Hunting again Tuesday). In this case, I wanted to show my prize and ask for Identification help before going to sleep. At the last site was a Sink hole, which had been partially excavated by a team of UF graduate students some decades ago, They found all sorts of bones, skeletons, teeth , Miocene aged. and I only had twenty five minutes before we left.. It was not sufficient to find a lot of quantity. but 10 minutes in, I found this Rhino upper Molar just laying on the ground. I had to pinch myself. I was NOT expecting Rhino. Note that Hunter_Schreger Bands are visible in the enamel, just as we would expect. So the 1st question is : Florida had 3-4 Rhino species. 1) Florida Rhino (Aphelops mutilus) From Alachua Co., Florida Lived ~8 million years ago 2) Panama Rhino (Floridaceras whitei) Adult (cast) and Juvenile From the Republic of Panama, Central America 3) Teleoceras proterum Lived ~10 million years ago 4) Menoceras ("Crescent Horns"[4]) is a genus of extinct, small rhinocerotids endemic to most of southern North America and ranged as far south as Panama during the early Miocene epoch. It lived from around 30.7—19.7 Ma, existing for approximately 11 million years. For the time being, I am thinking Teleoceras proterum, the one I know best. Here is an upper jaw of Teleoceras proterum. Teleoceras fossils have been found inside the Haile quarry. I have started at this photo above. It is not a perfect match, but I am thinking an upper left P3... Comments/Suggestions appreciated. Jack

Just sharing some more fossils I had the pleasure of getting identified. Again, from Northeast Nebraska, found in a creek that runs through both the Valentine and Ash Hollow formations. While there, I had the privilege of working at a fossil site absolutely FULL of complete teleoceras skeletons, and was able to ID the femur cap with help from the paleontologist there- the little articulated lip was the perfect match. I attached a photo of the femur another species of teleoceras (the only photo I could find of one) so you can see the comparison. The rib matched the thickness and shape of the rhino ribs there and has appropriate mineralization for its age. Let me know what you think!

A large male tusk a Miocene Rhinoceros has been in my possession for a couple of weeks. I am aware of a couple of businesses which specialize in restoration of fossils, megs, artifacts and the tusk owner asked me to facilitate restorations. The tusk itself is of very high quality with or without restorations. I have a small Rhino collection and I am considering negotiating a purchase price that both of us could feel good about. So here it is. A lower left tusk of Teleoceras Proterum, which was endemic to Florida 8-10 myas. You can see where the tusk was broken between the 5 & 6 inch mark and repaired sometime in the past. A top restorer could erase the mess around the repair, replace the bonding with a like colored material, and come close to making the break disappear. One of the few sources of this level of detail quality occurs in the Florida Phosphate mines. This one was found in a Polk County mine in the 1980s. To my never-ending pain, I did not start hunting until decades later. The next photo is of a T. Proterum skull found in Florida and re_assembled with (I am sure) some restoration. I have circled in red the equivalent fossil left tusk. The animal would sharpen the two lower tusks with the single roundish upper incisor. A couple of more photos. Here is detail on the tusk root. I have colored yellow a small pebble that I have not chosen to remove .. yet. Note the unbroken tiny knobs and the bluish tint to the inside of the root. Finally, a discussion of the tusk tip which could also be a candidate for restoration... So, the mahogany area of the tip has been shaved and polished by the upper incisor for most of the animal's life. Then it was broken on an angle (the grayish , white section). That new gray-white section was then shaved and polished by the upper incisor. This is similar to badly breaking a large bone an have it heal before you die. Your bones (or tusk) will always tell a story. The area next to the red line is a post fossilization "fresh" break and candidate for restoration. So, should I buy it and if I do, what level of fossilization is appropriate? I am not a big proponent of restoration. I have some time to think, and while I do, decided to share this fossil with TFF members. What is the good of having a nice fossil if you never show it to someone who might appreciate it. Enjoy. Jack