Fossileye Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Hello all! I am a new member and this is my first post. I found this piece snorkeling in near shore waters of the Gulf of Mexico in southwest Florida. Could it be a mammoth tooth fragment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
val horn Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Yes, good eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossileye Posted June 19, 2021 Author Share Posted June 19, 2021 Thank you for the feedback. I have a follow up question. I understand that it is possible that this fossil will break down and I could treat it with consoildants. It seems very hard and is not flaking which makes me think it may not be necessary. But as a newbie I would appreciate any member advice about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 If you value a vertebrate fossil (I exclude shark teeth here) -- and you want it to last -- consolidate it with a plastic. You cannot reliably judge by eye what will happen to the bone after 2 years, or 5 years, or 15 years in your drawer. Bones with which you could drive nails when first collected may split after years in your drawer. Teeth, when thoroughly dry, may split. These splits cannot be repaired to the original condition because of distortion to the bone or dentin or cementum. This may happen to any bone, so, if you're going to keep the bone, play the probabilities. Consolidate! Impregnation with plastic will prevent many later headaches (I'm not telling you to soak your head in consolidant). I am saying that there is nothing more disheartening than to open a drawer and to find a prize specimen tooth split in two. Trust the decades of museum experience. 3 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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