Horse Tooth Found

[Caallison]

I found this tooth in the overburden sight at my work. I actually found this tooth first, and went to grab a survey flag to mark the pile. On the way I found the shark tooth i just shared in an other post. It was an exciting day. 

 

Anyway, from looking at the molar patterns of other horse tooth fossils I think that this is a three-toed horse (Perissodactyla Miohippus ?). Judging from what I think is wear on the tooth ridges, I would hazard a guess that the horse was an old timer?

 

 While I personally am not fond of horses, it was really nice to have pieces that I could clearly identify for once, instead of various fragments of a fossil jigsaw puzzle. 

 

[jcbshark]

beautiful colors on that tooth

[siteseer]

I think it's the third lower molar of a Late Miocene horse.  It's too big and the wrong shape to be a Miohippus tooth (they look a lot like a Mesohippus).

 

@fossillarry

[Caallison]

Thank you! 

[siteseer]

15 hours ago, Caallison said:

Thank you! 

 

When Larry takes a look, he can ID it to genus and maybe species.

 

Jess

[fossillarry]

The tooth is actually the  second (p2) lower molar not an m3. Based on crown pattern the tooth look like it is from the genus Neohipparion.  The specimen is quite small for this genus,only abut 20 mm long and abut 38 mm tall.  I've brought such small teeth as this  to the museum in Gainesville and shown them to Dr. Richard Hulbert who ID them as Nehipparion eurystyle so this small specimen could be that genus and species. Where is the tooth from? Good locality data always helps with a specific identification.

[Shellseeker]

An Nehipparion eurystyle  Example: Figure 4. Mandibles of Neohipparion eurystyle from the Moss Acres Site, Marion County, Florida. A, UF 135839, right mandible in lateral view; and B, UF 69969, right mandible in occlusal view. Anterior to left in both.

 

[Harry Pristis]

18 minutes ago, fossillarry said:

The tooth is actually the  second (p2) lower molar not an m3. Based on crown pattern the tooth look like it is from the genus Neohipparion.  The specimen is quite small for this genus,only abut 20 mm long and abut 38 mm tall.  I've brought such small teeth as this  to the museum in Gainesville and shown them to Dr. Richard Hulbert who ID them as Nehipparion eurystyle so this small specimen could be that genus and species. Where is the tooth from? Good locality data always helps with a specific identification.

 

Are you saying this tooth is a premolar 2 or a molar 2 ??   Here are some Neohipparion eurystyle teeth for comparison:

 

 

[Shellseeker]

 

1 hour ago, Harry Pristis said:

Here are some Neohipparion eurystyle teeth for comparison:

 

 

 

 

Thanks, Harry

I think this is one of the first times where I identify a fossil tooth,  just by reading one of your posts. I was intrigued by the hypoconal groove, which is obvious on the the M3 Neohipparion Eurystyle.

 

[Mark Kmiecik]

I'm wondering what may have caused those two little holes.

[Caallison]

18 hours ago, fossillarry said:

 Where is the tooth from? Good locality data always helps with a specific identification.

Unfortunately, i found in old overburden material, so i can't give a good ID of what strata it was in, but my Plant is at the top of Newberry, near the Haile area. I was going to investigate more on the July 4th weekend, but that plant just entered full quarantine mode. So, it will be awhile before i can find more, but all these heavy rains should really help me then.

[fossillarry]

In most hysodont horses the first lower post canine tooth is the p2. The dp1(deciduous premolar 1,baby tooth) is seldom present in these horses so the first tooth encountered is the p2 which is then the the first lower post canine tooth.

[siteseer]

9 hours ago, Caallison said:

Unfortunately, i found in old overburden material, so i can't give a good ID of what strata it was in, but my Plant is at the top of Newberry, near the Haile area. I was going to investigate more on the July 4th weekend, but that plant just entered full quarantine mode. So, it will be awhile before i can find more, but all these heavy rains should really help me then.

 

Hi Caallison,

 

I figured you were somewhere around Gainesville.  I've spent a good amount of time there over the years for work.  They've found a lot of Late Miocene and Pleistocene vertebrates at Haile (croc stuff, mammals) and some older sea urchins.  I hope you find more good stuff when you get out there again.

 

I'm in California and one thing I noticed fast about Gainesville is that you can get some great barbecue there.  The Florida Museum of Natural History is fantastic too.

 

Jess

[Harry Pristis]

On Monday at 08:41 PM, fossillarry said:

The tooth is actually the  second (p2) lower molar not an m3. Based on crown pattern the tooth look like it is from the genus Neohipparion. . . . 

14 hours ago, fossillarry said:

In most hysodont horses the first lower post canine tooth is the p2. The dp1(deciduous premolar 1,baby tooth) is seldom present in these horses so the first tooth encountered is the p2 which is then the the first lower post canine tooth.

 

You didn't answer my question, Larry.  Are you saying this tooth is a premolar 2 or a molar 2 ??  You called it a premolar (p2) and a molar in the same sentence.

 

[Caallison]

5 hours ago, siteseer said:

 They've found a lot of Late Miocene and Pleistocene vertebrates at Haile (croc stuff, mammals) and some older sea urchins. 

 

So far ive found alligator scutes, turtle shell fragments, shark vertebra and teeth, gar scales, drum fish jaws, parrot fish jaws, and a mammoth ankle bone. The rest are fragments that are too incomplete to fully identify yet. And yes there is fantastic bbq here.