Cooper River SC Endocast

[Fossiljones]

Hi all,

Hope everyone is well and staying safe.

 

I found this during a recent dive trip to the Cooper River (South Carolina).

I originally assumed it must be a Steinkern of a weird bivalve.

However after cleaning the gravel out of the nooks and crannies, I was surprised to see what appears to be shark centrums in line with each other, embedded in the piece.

Parallel and adjacent to the alleged centrums is a hollow void, or canal.

 

I've read that shark brains very greatly  in shape and layout from species to species, and that commonly the lobes are laid out in series instead of in one roundish ball like humans.

 

Is this possibly an endocast of the braincase from a single lobe of a shark brain?

Could it be from a fish other than shark?

 

[fossisle]

Wow

[Tidgy's Dad]

I think it may be some sort of tilly bone, a hyperostotic fish bone. 

You can still see part of a fish vertebra in the middle. 

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

23 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

I think it may be some sort of tilly bone, a hyperostotic fish bone. 

You can still see part of a fish vertebra in the middle. 

 

46 minutes ago, Fossiljones said:

Is this possibly an endocast of the braincase

Hi There, 

 

@Tidgy's Dad dad is correct you can see the fish vert. This is a classic tilly bone with some wonderful water-worn shapes. 

 

Here is my own tilly bone (swollen fish vert) from Savannah, GA .. from a rather large bony fish. They were fairly common where I hunted. You can see the vertebra in the first photo. 

 

 

Here is what a neurocranium might look like.

Cheers,

Brett

 

 

[Fossiljones]

@Tidgy's Dad  @Brett Breakin' Rocks  Thank you!  Makes perfect sense now that I googled Tillybone.