Need help on this marine mammal tooth

[Dan the digger]

I've been collecting Oligocene and Miocene marine fossils in Summerville SC for decades, but I need help identifying this tooth.

It came out of the same Chandler Bridge formation, that I've found museum quality Angustidens, Rics, Megs etc.

Shark teeth as well as  Squaladon teeth, 2 intact skulls, etc. so I'm familiar with most of the marine fossils from that area.

 

However. I cant seem to nail this one down. I thought perhaps a juvenile Squaladon, but I don't  think so. It doesn't have the 2 roots common on those.

It is narrow.  Any help would be appreciated. I'll post the lone tooth first and a couple of others I've found in the same place.

 

  

 

   

[Fossildude19]

Move to FOSSIL ID.   

 

 

Looks like Squalodon to me. 

 

@sixgill pete  @Al Dente  @MarcoSr  @Boesse

[Al Dente]

Here's an old discussion on a very similar tooth. -http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/24963-my-angustidens-and-whaleporpoise-teeth/

[Boesse]

Hi! There aren't really any Squalodon fossils from South Carolina, and none from Summerville. The small tooth belongs to the "Phoca debilis"/"Phoca modesta" morphotype originally named by Leidy in the 1850s (see image from Albright et al. 2019). To my knowledge there is only one specimen with any diagnostic skull parts associated with this tooth type - and it's a possible eurhinodelphinid from the Chandler Bridge Formation, in our collections at the Mace Brown Museum of Natural History, currently under study.

 

The light colored jaw with the teeth in it is a right maxilla of a xenorophid - perhaps Xenorophus or Cotylocara, depending upon the size. Nice find!

 

What's the current disposition of the two dolphin skulls you've found, if I may ask?

 

[Dan the digger]

Hi!

Been trying to reach you through an email I got off your blog but pleasantly surprised to meet in this forum.As I mentioned in my emails ,if you can use the skull I have (or partial ,the remaining maxilla etc are not there)in your research or display at the museum/both ,you are welcome to it.I can mail it to you or possibly drop it off the next time Im in Charleston .Whats your opinion of the 3 loose teeth siting above the bare maxilla ?

I was told by many who saw it that the single tooth was a rare find and while I got a lot of speculation as to what it was nobody would guess with any confidence.It does look like phoca Modesta from what I can find published online but there are so few of them?

If you see any other teeth in those pictures or want some closer up pics etc let me know,Id be happy to know I contributed .

thank you for the infor and very nice to meet.Danny Partin

[Boesse]

Hey @Dan the digger! I'm always happy to meet with local collectors at the museum. Have you been before? If not I'd be happy to show you around the exhibits. Odontocete skulls are what I am mostly studying now, and so, thank you for your generosity! I'd love to see some photos. I didn't get an email - try either boesseneckerrw at cofc dot edu or boessenecker at gmail dot com!

[Dan the digger]

I will send them to that email address , think the one I used I got from your blog?And No ,I havnt been to the museum,Id love to see it ,,it wasnt open when I lived in Summerville ,I moved from Summerville in 2006 to work large Hurricane Katrina Losses ,but weve been gone way to long and will be moving back this year.Im working a loss in Fayetteville and will be coming to Charleston in the coming month or so to look for a place outside of Summerville ,When I do Ill let you know ,,and Ill bring the  the partial skull I have ,afew other nontypical teeth and come see you ,Id love to see the museum, I checked out some pics of it online and its FB page,,very very nice,,

Anyway thanks. good hearing back from u,hopefully I didnt step on any toes on this site  or commit  to many no nos ,by giving you my info ,if so I apologize to the admin and everybody else ,,I was just so excited to FINALLY hear from somebody about a couple of fossils Ive been trying to identify for decades

Ill talk to you later 

Danny

[Dan the digger]

@Boesse  Sent some close ups of the teeth/jaw etc and what parts I have of what would have been a small skull .Just wanted to make sure you got them.

I also think I have another 2 or 3 Phoca Modesta teeth,-I included one with a close up of the original ,Il bring them along with what I have when I get back that way

also quick question --what sealant/protective material do you recommend for covering a field fossil In Situ ,to get it back to the lab complete and what glue do you recommend ?Ive used paleo Bond but have had mixed results and heard theres much better 

thanks 

Danny