Mystery tooth that looks petrified

[6host]

I found this tooth that looks petrified while digging a garden in NC, USA. It appears to have cavities. I cannot find a tooth of a dog, wolf or bear that looks similar. The tooth is wider than most K9 teeth photos I’ve seen online. Any ideas of origin and estimate age would be greatly appreciated if visually identifiable. 

[Thomas.Dodson]

Not a tooth but a phalanx/terminal digit. It looks ungulate, probably deer.

[ClearLake]

Very nice, but it is not a tooth. It looks like a claw/hoof core. 

[6host]

Hmm very interesting. My inexperience saw tooth. I will definitely research these. Am I correct with the assumption of the petrifying or is that just fracturing from being exposed to soil for a given time? Thanks for the quick responses

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

11 minutes ago, 6host said:

Hmm very interesting. My inexperience saw tooth. I will definitely research these. Am I correct with the assumption of the petrifying or is that just fracturing from being exposed to soil for a given time? Thanks for the quick responses

Fossilization/mineralization can occur under many different circumstances and can happen sometimes in a very short (geologically speaking) span of time. That being said this looks eroded by the elements (sun/wind/rain) and probably not a fossil. 

 

Deer Distal Phalanx for comparison. 

 

 

Image Credit: https://campus.murraystate.edu/

 

Cheers,

Brett

[Thomas.Dodson]

The fracturing you're seeing is pretty common with normal bone. It doesn't look petrified to me but it's sometimes hard to determine over pictures. Some tips for determining fossil bone from modern bone:

 

Try comparing it to other bone or stone. Does it seem denser or heavier than bone?

Try tapping it with a metal instrument and comparing it to tapping a stone with metal instrument. It should produce sound similar to stone if it is fossilized.

Lastly, you can try burning a part of it. The collagen in non-fossil bone smells terrible.

 

These tips don't work as well for sub-fossil bone that is partially permineralized but you learn to fine tune these methods and get a feel for bone that is in between.

[jpc]

looks modern, not fossilized.  

[6host]

Thank you all for solving this mystery and teaching me about the anatomy of its purpose. I still might tell my friends it’s a 10,000 year old wolf tooth.... ;-)

[daves64]

1 hour ago, 6host said:

I still might tell my friends it’s a 10,000 year old wolf tooth.... ;-)

Or... you could tell them it's a deer toe.