3 toed horse tooth?

[diginupbones]

I am pretty sure this is a complete tooth. I’ve never found one with this pattern. 

[Harry Pristis]

It may well be a tridactyl horse tooth, but it is a partial worn to a sliver.

[diginupbones]

30 minutes ago, Harry Pristis said:

It may well be a tridactyl horse tooth, but it is a partial worn to a sliver.

Thanks again. I must have just found the sliver with the stylid in it by chance.  

[Shellseeker]

1 hour ago, diginupbones said:

Thanks again. I must have just found the sliver with the stylid in it by chance.  

The terminology for the round isolated circle in your tooth is "isolated protocone" .  It is one of the telltale markers for tridatyl small fossil horse teeth.

And to answer your question, yes, you just happened to find the sliver with the protocone on it.

 

To paraphrase one of my favorite actors, 'What are you prepared to do'?

Here is a possibility: Neohipparion.

If you do a google search of "Neohipparion South Dakota",  get a look at their upper teeth, make a measurement of the exact length of the protocone on your tooth fragment compared to the lengths on the internet photos, you will start to get lots of information and see scientific papers on fossil horses of South Dakota.

I like the color combinations of your teeth. Mine are usually black..

 

I have been following this process for the last 5-6 years for fossil horses in Florida. I hope that you become the TFF expert on fossil horses in South Dakota.

 

[Harry Pristis]

Here's one I recently photographed.  It's very worn, but it's an interesting effect.

 

 

[Shellseeker]

A link;

https://research.amnh.org/paleontology/perissodactyl/environment/interval3

and a drawing

[diginupbones]

Thanks for the link, some very good info there. I’ve been trying to learn more about the evolution of horses in North America ever since Harry identified my first three toed horse tooth about a year ago. The best information I have found has come from publications and studies done in Florida. The horses in Florida, South Dakota and Nebraska all seem to be very similar. I’ve been finding out that it is really difficult to differentiate between the different genera and also specific teeth. 

20 hours ago, Shellseeker said:

The terminology for the round isolated circle in your tooth is "isolated protocone"

Yep, I  used the wrong term there. I had been sorting through all my Cow/bison teeth for a couple of hours and had stylid in my brain.   You and Harry and some others have been really helpful. Thanks

[Shellseeker]

6 hours ago, diginupbones said:

The horses in Florida, South Dakota and Nebraska all seem to be very similar. I’ve been finding out that it is really difficult to differentiate between the different genera and also specific teeth. 

YES,, and .....YES, me also

From Bruce McFadden's paper... We are unlikely to identify exactly,  this is as close as one can get for your splinter.