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Dolphin/whale - other?


PODIGGER

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Posted some shots of these finds over a week ago.  Some folks asked for better pictures and I finally have them. My first idea was dolphin on the first one, but the glossy surface had me doubting that ID.  On the second, it is quite worn and I was guessing it could be a whale tooth.  So, the question is, are they dolphin, whale, neither?  Any input would be appreciated. 

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If I were to hazard a guess I'd say the first object is a broken off crown from a tooth, maybe dolphin or a small mammal like raccoon or coyote? The second looks like a water worn sperm whale tooth to me.

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Thank you Huntonia for your response.  That is where I am sitting right now. The first one has me questioning land mammal vs dolphin because of the high gloss look and feel.  Boesse is the expert in this area and I am hoping he has the time to respond.  He could easily be off grid right now and may not be able to weigh in.  But there is always hope!

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I wish I could be of more help here. I find pieces like these from time to time and they are frustrating.`They have just enough shape left to be tantalizing and not enough features to be authoritatively identified. You know it's definitely a fossil tooth of some sort, it's a vertebrate, and that it's likely a mammal. Other than that, for some damaged and worn specimens it might take an expert who specializes in a certain narrow field to get a definitive ID.

I've been pleasantly surprised by some of the ID's the members of this forum are able to give - they almost all check out and are largely accurate. And every now and then something stumps everyone and nobody knows what it is. (I'm frequently stumped and rarely attempt to ID unless I am 100% certain, or nobody knows and people are throwing around ideas).

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Thanks for giving it a look Bone Daddy. I'm heading back to the river tomorrow and hope to come up with a few nice specimens that can be identified!

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27 minutes ago, PODIGGER said:

Thanks for giving it a look Bone Daddy. I'm heading back to the river tomorrow and hope to come up with a few nice specimens that can be identified!

 

Good luck out there. I am hoping to get out there again next week.  Stay safe!

 

 

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So I actually think the first one is a terrestrial carnivore, but we're actually looking at a single root of a double rooted tooth and the cementum has spalled off. You can see a little bit of 'bridging' cementum stuck on one side.

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Thanks @Boesse!!  I was thinking some type of feline incisor as a secondary option.  I have sent the photos to UF, Dr Hulbert to see if he has an opinion.

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