Pliosaur tooth

[FF7_Yuffie]

Thoughts on this, please? It's sold as Pliosaur tooth from Faringdon, Oxfordshire--Kimmeridge Clay. 13mm long.

 

I have my doubts because most Pliosaur teeth that I see for sale have quite thick, distinct striations that this lacks. But of course, it could be a different type of pliosaur. Or I could be entirely wrong that they usually have thick striations.. Anyway, any thoughts would be most welcome.

[paulgdls]

Since the vertebrate fossils from this site are re-worked from the Kimmeridgian (ca. 150 mya) they are usually worn and polished by the sand. I've collected from there and the wear and polishing can be very severe even on vertebrae etc. There do seem to be vestigial striations on the tooth similar to those seen on pliosaur teeth. 

 

 

[FF7_Yuffie]

15 hours ago, paulgdls said:

Since the vertebrate fossils from this site are re-worked from the Kimmeridgian (ca. 150 mya) they are usually worn and polished by the sand. I've collected from there and the wear and polishing can be very severe even on vertebrae etc. There do seem to be vestigial striations on the tooth similar to those seen on pliosaur teeth. 

 

 

 

Cheers, thanks for having a look. I've ordered the tooth--quite worn and tip missing, but price is good and pliosaur teeth aren't for sale often.

 

Thanks for the help

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

Yeah, I saw this too. And as Paul explained, with the material having been reworked (and often highly worn) it could, in light of the vestigial striations, indeed be a pliosaur tooth - but just in as much as that it could be plenty of other things, mainly crocodile. I've seen teeth come from this location that are identified as - and indeed look like - crocodile, but on which no traces of the expected carinae remain. Also, I wouldn't entirely uncritically rely on this vendor's ID of these tiny tooth fragments. For, though generally quite knowledgeable, I have now bought multiple of these fragment off of them that I've since attributed a different ID - including the below ichthyosaur tooth that's actually a Thalattosuchian (left; it has carinae) and Cretaceous pliosaur that I believe is actually an Ophthalmosaurid, likely Platypterygian, ichthyosaur (right; the enamel folds are much more rounded than you'd expect for pliosaur, and the folds all stop around the same height from the top). Nobody is all-knowing, and I had already arrived at these new IDs before buying, but just to be in the know...

 

 

Interestingly, your tooth appears to have the same kind of remnant striations as mine, received just last week. And though they are hard to see in person, the striations do reminisce of those found on pliosaur teeth. Together with the rounded root still visible in my specimen, the lack of carinae, and the fact that pliosaur teeth are know to have been found at the Wicklesham Pit in Faringdon (see here and here for examples on this forum), I'm fairly confident my tooth is indeed that of a pliosaur... And if mine is - considering the similarities - yours probably is as well...

 

[FF7_Yuffie]

3 hours ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said:

Yeah, I saw this too. And as Paul explained, with the material having been reworked (and often highly worn) it could, in light of the vestigial striations, indeed be a pliosaur tooth - but just in as much as that it could be plenty of other things, mainly crocodile. I've seen teeth come from this location that are identified as - and indeed look like - crocodile, but on which no traces of the expected carinae remain. Also, I wouldn't entirely uncritically rely on this vendor's ID of these tiny tooth fragments. For, though generally quite knowledgeable, I have now bought multiple of these fragment off of them that I've since attributed a different ID - including the below ichthyosaur tooth that's actually a Thalattosuchian (left; it has carinae) and Cretaceous pliosaur that I believe is actually an Ophthalmosaurid, likely Platypterygian, ichthyosaur (right; the enamel folds are much more rounded than you'd expect for pliosaur, and the folds all stop around the same height from the top). Nobody is all-knowing, and I had already arrived at these new IDs before buying, but just to be in the know...

 

 

Interestingly, your tooth appears to have the same kind of remnant striations as mine, received just last week. And though they are hard to see in person, the striations do reminisce of those found on pliosaur teeth. Together with the rounded root still visible in my specimen, the lack of carinae, and the fact that pliosaur teeth are know to have been found at the Wicklesham Pit in Faringdon (see here and here for examples on this forum), I'm fairly confident my tooth is indeed that of a pliosaur... And if mine is - considering the similarities - yours probably is as well...

 

 

 

Thanks for the help. So it was you who bought the one listed the other week. I spotted it before I went to bed, decided to get it in the morning but was too late. Glad to see it's found a good home though. It's a nice tooth.

 

They were really well-priced. Glad to get more of a confirmation that Pliosaur is a likely ID. I don't see even partial and worn pliosaur teeth like the one I bought come up for sale often.

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

7 hours ago, FF7_Yuffie said:

Thanks for the help. So it was you who bought the one listed the other week. I spotted it before I went to bed, decided to get it in the morning but was too late. Glad to see it's found a good home though.

Hahaha! Which only goes to show: whenever you see a good opportunity, don't hesitate but just go for it. I learned that the hard way...

[FF7_Yuffie]

18 hours ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said:

Hahaha! Which only goes to show: whenever you see a good opportunity, don't hesitate but just go for it. I learned that the hard way...

 

I'm definitely glad a srcond appeared. Not as nice as the one you bought, but still, pliosaur teeth come for sale rarely enough that Im pleased witj it.

 

Since I started collecting again around May of last year, I think i've seen 3 or 4 come up. 

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

8 hours ago, FF7_Yuffie said:

 

I'm definitely glad a srcond appeared. Not as nice as the one you bought, but still, pliosaur teeth come for sale rarely enough that Im pleased witj it.

 

Since I started collecting again around May of last year, I think i've seen 3 or 4 come up. 

I must not be looking in the right places then, as I don't think I've seen that many... At least, not that many good ones. Though I did see multiple polycotylid teeth up for sale, and may be one or two very worn and damaged pliosaur ones, this is the first seller I've seen offering them. That said, he's offered up at least four of the these over the past two weeks or so...