dennis1127 Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 I found this jaw bone in mexico on a beach and have no idea what it is. It’s blue which i think is especially weird. Thanks for all your help! One picture is next to my dog for size lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 I believe that may be a broken, water worn. large shell with its toothed margin giving the impression of, well, teeth. 1 Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis1127 Posted April 22, 2020 Author Share Posted April 22, 2020 i don’t think so, the teeth are shiny and seem to be a different material or something than the rest of it, and if you look on the side pic the teeth go inside the bone structure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis1127 Posted April 22, 2020 Author Share Posted April 22, 2020 16 minutes ago, snolly50 said: I believe that may be a broken, water worn. large shell with its toothed margin giving the impression of, well, teeth. do you still think it’s a shell? i really have no idea but i think it sure looks like a jaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 I think it might be a partial parrot fish tooth. @digit 3 The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis1127 Posted April 22, 2020 Author Share Posted April 22, 2020 1 minute ago, JohnJ said: I think it might be a partial parrot fish tooth. wow it sure does look like the upper jaw to one, i wonder how they get that blue color on the bone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 5 minutes ago, dennis1127 said: do you still think it’s a shell? Your new pictures are more intriguing. The first - the "teeth" now appear (to my eye) a different texture (smooth, enamel- like). In the second, there appear some small windows or channels, which seem more jaw-like. So, I don't know, others will, I bet. Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pemphix Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 Upper jaw of a (recent, not fossil) fish, i'm with JohnJ looks pretty like parrotfish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis1127 Posted April 22, 2020 Author Share Posted April 22, 2020 thank you i’ve been trying to figure this out forever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted April 22, 2020 Share Posted April 22, 2020 Indeed. It is very much a partial jaw from a parrotfish. Given the size it was likely from one of the three large species in the tropical western Atlantic (Blue Parrotfish, Midnight Parrotfish or Rainbow Parrotfish). The blue coloration in the bone is likely the result of microscopic algae colonizing the porous bone material. The tiny teeth in the jaw would normally look more like a parrot's beak (the source of the family name) but the tiny individual plates that make up this tooth (and are continually replaced) likely disarticulated leaving only the base row as the cartilage decomposed and this piece rolled around in the surf. You'll see your piece marked (f) in the image below. Here are a couple of good links to learn more about these. The first is less technical. https://www.susanscott.net/ow/extracted-teeth-tell-the-tale-of-a-truly-extraordinary-fish/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/veterinary-science-and-veterinary-medicine/parrotfish Cheers. -Ken 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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