Whale tooth, bird bone

[Shellseeker]

I recently found a broken canine (split in two) that made me think. The site usually produces a fair amount of Pliocene fossils.

Here it is. The length of the tooth is 2.5 inches of which 1.5 inches is enamel. I know a lot about Florida whale teeth and I have frequently said that horizontal banding rings are a "tell" for whale. This one has such horizontal rings.

However it has differences from the "normal" whale teeth I find:  1) The enamel is on the outside of the tooth and longer than a tooth this size should have;  2) Most Florida whale teeth have slightly rounded rather than sharp tips.

 

 

 

 

Here are some more common Florida whale shapes:

 

 

 

 

Maybe it is Orycterocetus or or even a large alligator tooth. Comments appreciated.

 

 

 

At the same location, I also found a bird bone and wondered if it had a Pliocene age.  Maybe @Auspex can assist, identifying the bone and candidates   Jack.

 

 

 

 

[jpc]

the bone looks like a humerus.  Don't know which bird.  Nice find.  

[Harry Pristis]

My guess is that it's an anhinga coracoid.

[Shellseeker]

1 hour ago, Harry Pristis said:

My guess is that it's an anhinga coracoid.

Thanks Harry,  I see one on Worthpoint identified as Florida Pleistocene about the right size. It does not seem modern but since the Anhinga is also extant, this bone might have dropped in at any time.

[Bone Daddy]

That suspected whale tooth is interesting. Is Hurlbert answering emails again?

 

[MarcoSr]

Your whale tooth looks like the sperm whale teeth that I find in Virginia.  See the two whale teeth, upper left, in the below Riker display.

 

 

 

 

 

Marco Sr.

[Shellseeker]

9 minutes ago, MarcoSr said:

Your whale tooth looks like the sperm whale teeth that I find in Virginia.  See the two whale teeth, upper left, in the below Riker display.

 

 

 

 

 

Marco Sr.

marco, thanks for the response. 

i can not see the details on the 2 teeth. do they have enamel on the outside roughly as long as the one i found.

do you think yours might be orycterocetus? do you have orycterocetud in Virginia?

[MarcoSr]

34 minutes ago, Shellseeker said:

marco, thanks for the response. 

i can not see the details on the 2 teeth. do they have enamel on the outside roughly as long as the one i found.

do you think yours might be orycterocetus? do you have orycterocetud in Virginia?

 

What you are seeing with your tooth is the inner portion of the tooth with most of the outer sheath worn off.  You can see the outer sheath on the bottom of your tooth.  Not sure of the genus.

 

Marco Sr.