Aurora Mine spoil pile find for ID

[old bones]

Ancient Bones has been searching a box of matrix from the Aurora Mine spoil pile in North Carolina and found this specimen. She sends her finds to me for photographing, but we are not sure how to label this one. My first thought is fish teeth in a fragment of jawbone.  We are hoping that someone will be able to pin it down. @Al Dente @MarcoSr

Thanks for looking.

[PrehistoricWonders]

1 hour ago, old bones said:

Ancient Bones has been searching a box of matrix from the Aurora Mine spoil pile in North Carolina and found this specimen. She sends her finds to me for photographing, but we are not sure how to label this one. My first thought is fish teeth in a fragment of jawbone.  We are hoping that someone will be able to pin it down. @Al Dente @MarcoSr

Thanks for looking.

It appears too be some type of Archaeocete whale tooth. I don’t know if Squalodon occurs in that Formation, but I’d guess it’s something of that sort. This is what it would look like if it were a complete tooth

[Al Dente]

24 minutes ago, old bones said:

My first thought is fish teeth in a fragment of jawbone

That’s what I think too.

[old bones]

8 minutes ago, Familyroadtrip said:

It appears too be some type of Archaeocete whale tooth. I don’t know if Squalodon occurs in that Formation, but I’d guess it’s something of that sort. This is what it would look like if it were a complete tooth

 

That would be very cool, but this is a very tiny specimen of only a few millimeters.I think that Al Dente has it. Thanks for your input.  

2 minutes ago, Al Dente said:

That’s what I think too.

Good deal! Thanks Eric.

[PrehistoricWonders]

3 hours ago, old bones said:

That would be very cool, but this is a very tiny specimen of only a few millimeters.I think that Al Dente has it. Thanks for your input.  

Good deal! Thanks Eric.

Ahh, yeah, definitely not that then. Didn’t realize it was that small. Cool piece!

[MarcoSr]

11 hours ago, old bones said:

My first thought is fish teeth in a fragment of jawbone.

 

11 hours ago, Al Dente said:

That’s what I think too.

 

I also think fish teeth in a fragment of jawbone, possibly Gar, Lepisosteus.

 

Marco Sr.

[old bones]

1 hour ago, MarcoSr said:

 

 

I also think fish teeth in a fragment of jawbone, possibly Gar, Lepisosteus.

 

Marco Sr.

Thank you Marco Sr..

[MikeR]

The dimensions appear to be around 2mm wide by 3mm tall.  That seems small even for a baby squalodon.

 

Mike

[Boesse]

The enamel structure itself is also quite different from that of a cetacean - it's very tubular.

On 6/26/2021 at 9:53 AM, MikeR said:

The dimensions appear to be around 2mm wide by 3mm tall.  That seems small even for a baby squalodon.

 

Mike

All known odontocetes only had a single set of teeth, so a Squalodon calf would basically have crowded adult teeth!