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Spinosaurus tooth? Just got into fossils...


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I bought this one already, my very first fossil of any kind.

 

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Is there anything that sets off any alarms? I know people usually enquire about longer teeth which might show signs of extension, but I would feel better just making sure.

 

I also have my eyes set on a batch of 5. From what little I've researched, those 5 set off more alarm bells but I'm at my max total for attachments.

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This is the batch of 5. I think the 2nd has been extended if my amateur sleuthing is correct. I am concerned about teeth 1 and 4. I am unlikely to bid enough to win this, in part because I think they're a bit more questionable than the one I bought?

 

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Edited by KDD
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These are Spinosauridae teeth either Spinosaurus sp. or Sigilmassasaurus brevicollis  

 

Need to see both side and closer to determine what problems exist with the 5.  From a macro view:

Looks like the second in from both sides has had work done to the root area.  Also the first one from the left may have some repair to the root area.  Closer photos would determine that.  Tip has been reattached on some.

 

On your tooth looks okay from this side what about the other sides?  Cannot see tip area dark photo.

 

You can add photos by using "submit reply"  or reduce the size of your photos.  Max 4 mb per post.

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Welcome to the club! The first dinosaur tooth I bought over 20 years ago was a spinosaurus tooth. I still have it to this day.

 

The tooth you bought looks pretty nice. I don't see any issues from your picture. The root looks real and I don't see any issues with the crown.

 

With the other five, tooth two and four look to have had the roots extended, maybe some work on the root of tooth one. There looks to be some repairs to the crowns of some of the teeth. Over all I don't think they look that bad.

 

My advice to you though would be to slow down a little bit. Spinosaurus teeth are extremely common. Don't just buy the first teeth you see. Take your time and make sure you're getting a high quality tooth at a good price. There are some nice teeth to be had but there is also a lot of junk out there to.

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Thank you for the welcome and the suggestion. I don't need to reconstruct a spinosaurus entire mouth, one will do. But by the same token, everything has a price and if I can get the teeth for on average half as much it might be worthwhile I think.

 

I took the sellers pictures which show a little bit more at the top and the root.

 

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I will post a picture once it arrives. Even though I am mostly satisfied, this for my own education in how to spot touch up work. It'll serve me in the future.

 

Would I be right in thinking the darker patches here are some kind of cement?

 

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Or the imperfect curve of the 4th tooth (2nd in the inverted picture I first posted) is possibly indicative of alteration?

Edited by KDD
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Not necessarily, why you need better, closer photos and those of the other side to make that call. The second tooth from the right,  yes that could be a patch or extension why you need to see the other side of the tooth. 

 

Lost, Im old :) not sure which one.  Best to number or identify from left to right.  

1 hour ago, KDD said:

4th tooth (2nd in the inverted

 

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The tooth in the OP arrived. On a non-photographed side, there is like a seam that raises from the tooth and may go inwards on the enamel. The seam corresponds to the point with the crack on the top of the tooth angles into it. It seems to go with the up and down pattern of smaller bumps around the tooth but elevates higher there.

 

I have looked up resin seams and it doesn't look like that. It could be carinae. There are some tiny chips along that suggest waviness.

 

I will take a picture later. My 17 year old buddy of a cat got put down without consulting me and I'm too saddened by it to do anything right now.

 

The other lot of 5 spinosaurus teeth sold for a ridiculous amount. I hope the buyers don't discover they were cheated.

 

Actually, you can see the seam here, just not a good shot of it. It is raised along the darker portion of the tooth.

 

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Sorry to hear about your cat. I know how you feel. I had to put my cat down last year and it was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

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42 minutes ago, Dracorex_hogwartsia said:

Sorry to hear about your cat. I know how you feel. I had to put my cat down last year and it was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

 

Even worse is that I don't think mine was ready to be put down, at all. His heart was weak, but he could die naturally.  Heart attacks my be painful, but it's not like the kind of pain of cancer around the jaw that go on tormenting the creature. Someone saw his legs splay, but we didn't. That's why he was taken to the vets. Looking up that, there could be life threatening and non life threatening causes and if he isn't in pain it is usually a good sign. The vet told her his heart was weak and she told him such rubbish as he was not eating/drinking, which at most only related to the day in question and she feeds him so much stuff he can't possibly eat it all. I don't care whether he had 1 day left, he was not in pain and his legs were working and last I saw him he was happy and fit and I would have loved that 1 more day with him. I think he had another year in him. I feel cheated of time with him and didn't get to say goodbye.

 

He was the one thing that made me smile.

 

You're the only person so far who has given me such a response with no strings attached. Thank you!

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I am so sorry to hear that. That should definitely be your decision to make. I hope you feel better soon, I understand how attached we can feel to our pets.

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10 hours ago, Huntonia said:

I am so sorry to hear that. That should definitely be your decision to make. I hope you feel better soon, I understand how attached we can feel to our pets.

 

Thanks.

 

I don't know why, but I missed the ridge on the other side of the tooth as well. I guess I just tend to focus on one area at a time and I was in a bit of a rush.

 

Carina or mold seam? The ridges both stick out sharply on top darker area of the tooth before going inwards on the enamel. They feel very hard, like stone. [They didn't come in a sandwich bag, I put my fossils in there for the time being. I assume there is no acidic stuff on these things that might corrode fossils?]

 

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The logical conclusion is that they would handed sanded it down if it were fake. The ridges would not stick out like that. Furthermore, if they were doing a mold they would probably do one of a tooth complete with tip. That's the logic, as far as that goes. Maybe I'm a fool, but it feels on day #1 like I imagine carina would be like.

 

Interestingly, the seller gave an info card that put the date at 65 million years ago. I don't know much about dinosaurs yet, but I do know they lived from 112-97 million years ago, not 65.

Edited by KDD
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The tooth is real those two tall ridges are the carinae.  Can you take photos of the tooth outside the bag so we can have a good look at the tip area.  And a close up of that tip.

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I'm in the broken tip camp.  Wear facets dont look like that and do not have jaggard sides.  No reason to cover it with matrix if it's a wear facet. 

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The tooth was sold as it being feeding damage, which I thought was kind of cool. Still, I don't think the seller knew. And as long as there isn't a 100% consensus, I'll be sure to pass this detail onto the next holder if I ever sell it/give it away as a probability. As long as the tooth is real, I'll do better next time and consult here before making a purchase. The tooth measured 3.7 (.7 = 11/16ths) inches I'll let the seller know.

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Highly unlikely the seller is competent to make that call, feeding damage always a good sales pitch.  Most likely damaged during extraction.  Sorry but valuations are not permitted on this site.

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Just to be clear, as I may have been sending mixed messages due to the way I write which confuses a lot of people, the sharpness only concerned the ridges [carinae]. It does not concern any point on the top of the tooth where the damage is. I assumed by jaggedness, you were talking about the way the crack looks. But if you mistook what I said, you might have the wrong impression: the top of the tooth is smooth.

 

I did write the seller and she said that in her opinion the smoothness at the top suggested it was broken a long time ago.

 

It is not common, but I did see another tooth with sand, loads of it, around it. Is it also possible the sand (it is bumpy looking, but I'm not 100% personally sure it is sand either) was just there at the top when it was glued to protect the tooth from further damage?

 

Whatever the circumstances, I don't believe the seller misinformed me and have left her positive feedback. She may even visit here, as she tells me she visits places like this from time to time.

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Whenever you see matrix affixed to teeth from the Kem Kem it typically is added in Morocco to hide imperfections, damage, composites etc.  Its typically not something that happened a long time ago, whatever that means, but part of normal process of extraction or handling which is very common on these fragile teeth.  

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I meant if the damage happened recently, wouldn't the tip be jagged and sharp to the touch? It's not what she said, I don't think so. It was my artistic license, I don't remember what she said and I'm fighting insomnia so I've been too tired to go back and forth for hours now, I'm in zombie phase and I'm probably writing like a drunk. I wasn't meaning to suggest the sand was embedded in the fossil a long time ago and became fossilized with it, I just suggested maybe the sand was just not brushed off the fossil after extraction when it was dipped in glue [not sure if that part of the process is to be assumed with all these fossils, but this one was said to have been dipped in glue]? I'm probably going to need to check out fossilization processes to be on the same page with you guys. Even the word the matrix as it applies to this subject had me Googling info.

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