Reebs Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 Hello, I found this tooth looking fossil in Parrish, Fl. It looks similar size to a large gator tooth but it’s more almond shaped. It does have a very apparent ridge on one side and the ridge appears to have little serrations towards the bottom of it. I have never found a tooth like this before...the inside looks completely solid but does appear to have a slightly different color core. Please help ID, and thanks again for looking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reebs Posted December 12, 2019 Author Share Posted December 12, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reebs Posted December 12, 2019 Author Share Posted December 12, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 I'm thinking that one looks like a bivalve steinkern (internal mold). Broken a bit on one side. Cheers. -Ken 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reebs Posted December 12, 2019 Author Share Posted December 12, 2019 I hadn’t thought about that. Thanks Ken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 With the piece in hand, does it appear that it is the shape of the inside of a bivalve (clam) shell? Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reebs Posted December 15, 2019 Author Share Posted December 15, 2019 @digit yes it does Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 Great! Another mystery solved. A few years back I found a much larger coiled item that I just could not wrap my mind around--wasn't geological, definitely biological but it made no sense. Turned out to be the spiraled steinkern of a large gastropod snail (like a conch). Once you shift perception to realize that it is the negative internal mold and not a fossilized bone at all, then it all clicked and made perfect sense. That experience led me to add steinkerns to my checklist of possible identifications for mystery objects. Cheers. -Ken 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reebs Posted December 24, 2019 Author Share Posted December 24, 2019 @digit thanks so much for the feedback. I did not know what steinkerns were before you mentioned them. I now have an ID for not only this mystery item, but a few others in my collection. I have a few that are clearly internal molds of shells but I never knew what to call them other than a shell without its shell hehe! As soon as you pointed to this as a possibility the lightbulb went on and I started researching Many thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge. It is much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Knowledge is pretty powerless unless it is used and shared. That's the underlying basis of this forum. I love those little "light bulb" moments when a new bit of learning can be reapplied and solve additional mysteries. It's one thing to show an unknown to someone and get an ID but quite another to figure one out for yourself with acquired knowledge. I like reading the diversity of posts on this forum and (hopefully) sopping up a tiny bit of knowledge/experience because you never know when it could come in handy. Cheers. -Ken 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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