Squalodon Tooth

[Bob Barnum 0]

This is one of the teeth that I found recently in a creek bed in Summerville. It was not in a geological formation but The Chandler Bridge Formation is very close. My limited knowledge leads me to think this is a squalodon tooth. Any one have any thoughts?

 

Thanks for your help in identifying this tooth.

[fifbrindacier 4,744]

Hi, it's surely a fish tooth. Could you give us its dimensions please and also photos from all angles ?

@Al Dente, @Darktooth, @Troodon, what is your opinion ?

[Fossildude19 14,847]

Welcome to the Forum.  

 

Please indicate a size, and take photos of the other side, and of the top, looking down.  

[Brett Breakin' Rocks 1,628]

4 hours ago, Bob Barnum said:

Thanks for your help in identifying this tooth.

Hi There,

 

There are no identified Squalodonts in that area. Just a cursory glance at this tooth it looks like a delphinid (dolphin) tooth. Possibly from a Waipatiid. Attached are some reference images .. but as others have stated we will need a size and better photos. 

 

These teeth, or ones like it, are not uncommon for that area. If it is much larger it could be something altogether different. 

 

Dolphin molars ... Image Credit: Mace Brown Museum

 

Image Credit: Chris Forehand - Facebook User (Identified by Mace Brown as waipatiid or agorophiid)

[FossilDAWG 5,855]

@Boesse would be a good bet to have an authoritative answer.

 

Don

[Bob Barnum 0]

Here are some additional pictures that might be of some help.

[Bob Barnum 0]

[Brett Breakin' Rocks 1,628]

14 hours ago, Bob Barnum said:

Here are some additional pictures that might be of some help.

Hi There,

 

These are perfect .. yes, a very small dolphin molar. As I mentioned before, if you work the creeks long enough you will begin to spot them with some frequency. Though, they are not usually as nice as your tooth. I still have an ongoing Virtual reality project using scanned delphinid (dolphin) and whale bones to recreate these creatures in 3D and animated.  It's quite exciting. 

 

These teeth, because of the split root (which is what it looks like you have) are most likely a Waipatiid or Agorophiid sp. ... Much larger (palm sized) would have indicated something along the lines of the newly described Genus Y. (Ankylorhiza tiedemani)  But that dolphin was a BIG boy and was about 18ft long. They can also been found in that area. 

 

Here are a few of my own .. the one that resembles your tooth (upper left) in shape and size also has a small .5 inch crown.  Hope this helps. Bobby might be by at some point in the future to verify the ID. Cheers.

 

 

FYI a Waipatiid at the Mace Brown museum in Charleston. A spear-toothed dolphin. 

 

Cheers,

Brett

 

PS. A blog post from Bobby that discussed misidentified squalodon teeth found in South Carolina.  http://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2016/12/no-you-dont-have-prosqualodon-tooth-and.html

[Boesse 1,739]

Fairly certain that this is a lower posterior molar of Ankylorhiza, possibly A. tiedemani. It's the right size (~2cm ant/post) and has the characteristic V-shaped enamel ridges on the mesial side.