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Calvert Cliffs Shark Teeth and Vert IDs


bthemoose

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Hi all, I'm hoping some of the resident experts here can help confirm or correct my IDs of the three fossil shark teeth and what I believe is a cetacean lumbar vert shown in the pictures below. I found these recently on a beach along the Calvert Cliffs in Maryland (Miocene exposure). Thanks for your help!

 

For the shark teeth, I believe the the two on the left are both Carcharodon hastalis (though am more confident in my ID for #1) while the one on the right is possibly Isurus oxyrinchus though may also be Carcharias sp. All three have worn roots so I realize that may complicate the IDs. See pictures further below for scale bars and labial and side views of these.

 

5f0b636b4e477_SharkTeethforID_together.jpg.7b3fe3228773aab34416105236eda3ce.jpg

 

5f0b637471631_SharkTeethforID.thumb.jpg.2c99e53d9905582e2f291ec6ca362a81.jpg

 

From pictures online, I believe this is a cetacean lumbar vertebra. The "bumpy" surface in the two lefthand photos also signifies that the epiphysis is missing, and thus this came from a juvenile, correct? Is it possible to further identify this as from a particular species or genus?

 

5f0b640026dbd_VertforID_compiled.jpg.97e6ccca7e2b70c8055d26b1a87db696.jpg

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

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Just bumping this from the weekend in case anyone has insight into these fossils. Thanks!

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Certainly looks like a dolphin or whale vert to me... I do not have a good sense of what size is maximum for dolphin and minimum for whale, but having seen @Boesse recent blog post, it may not be that simple...I note that the epiphysis on this vert is not fused , so young animal. Here is one of mine from a couple of months back,

IMG_3604.thumb.JPEG.b585d13932d1826899ca0e8c130fb941.JPEG

 

On the Makos, 99.9% of the Makos I find are Carcharodon hastalis, almost none are Isurus oxyrinchus, but the the few  Isurus oxyrinchus  that I do find look very different from yours Mine have fat elongated roots and are  generally tilted off center. I think all of yours are Hastalis.

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The White Queen  ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast"

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Thanks, @Shellseeker! So you think #3 is C. hastalis too? That was my initial thought when I found it, but I talked myself out of the ID as I wasn’t sure their crowns could be that narrow (recognizing that shape changes with position but I hadn’t seen one like this).
 

How big is that vert in your photo?

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The vert in my photo is 4.3 3 inches in diameter.

UPDATED !!!!

 

Lets see if I can find some TFF skark experts in this discussion of makos. @Al Dente, @MarcoSr, @siteseer, @Northern Sharks

The White Queen  ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast"

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The first two look like Hastalis to me. I'm almost sure the third one is Hastalis too, but I would like to see some others chime in.

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9 hours ago, Shellseeker said:

The vert in my photo is 4.3 inches in diameter.

 

Lets see if I can find some TFF skark experts in this discussion of makos. @Al Dente, @MarcoSr, @siteseer, @Northern Sharks

 That’s a big vert! Thanks for looping in others as well.

 

9 hours ago, BellamyBlake said:

The first two look like Hastalis to me. I'm almost sure the third one is Hastalis too, but I would like to see some others chime in.

Thanks!

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