Snaggle_tooth Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 Hello all, Recently my girlfriend and I went up to Ramanessin in New Jersey for a fossil hunt. After a while I came across this tooth! Upon trying to identify it I couldn't exactly figure out whether it was a crocodile (Thoracosaurus) or a mosasaur from the area. The tooth is more ovular in cross section. If more pictures are needed I can send them. Im leaning more towards Thoracosaurus. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Posted August 3, 2020 Share Posted August 3, 2020 This is an example of Pachyrhizodus sp.. I think I saw this on Instagram and said the same thing. Not sure if this is the same photo that I saw on Insta though, but nonetheless it is a Pachy... 1 : ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 15 hours ago, Trevor said: This is an example of Pachyrhizodus sp.. I think I saw this on Instagram and said the same thing. Not sure if this is the same photo that I saw on Insta though, but nonetheless it is a Pachy... Though I myself am not to familiar with Pachyrhizodus sp., the one thing I've learned about this fish so far is that it can, in some cases, look extremely much like a mosasaur tooth. Mosasaur teeth would have a round base, however (which is easy to distinguish) - as do most crocodiles, I believe. A crocodile tooth would, in addition, most often have striations running the length of the tooth, as well as typically bearing carinae/cutting edges. Though these might have become worn due to exposure of the fossil, it's likely that you'd still be able to recognize their past presence. Predatory fish teeth, on the other hand, are more labio-lingually compressed and generally smoother, without enamel texture. So, for me the fact that the tooth characteristics point neither clearly towards mosasaur nor crocodile, makes predatory fish - i.e. Pachyrhizodus sp. - a very acceptable option. 1 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snaggle_tooth Posted August 4, 2020 Author Share Posted August 4, 2020 16 hours ago, Trevor said: This is an example of Pachyrhizodus sp.. I think I saw this on Instagram and said the same thing. Not sure if this is the same photo that I saw on Insta though, but nonetheless it is a Pachy... Gag! You've found me out! I'm the guy on Instagram, haha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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