TeethCollector Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 Hi A Russian Pliosaur or Ichthyosaur tooth. I think the tooth looks real, but the root looks somewhat suspicious... Is it common practice to fabricate root in Russian fossils? The locality is: Lower Cretaceous, Stary Oskol, Belogrod Oblast, Russia. And, is it good to say this is from an Ichthyosaur? I googled the locality but was not able to find info.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuMert Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 At least looks like typical SO material. As to possible fabrication, I'm not an expert. If the price is affordable they are probably not fabricated My sites & reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted July 2, 2021 Share Posted July 2, 2021 As Yury said, this tooth looks like what is typical for Stary Oskol, albeit that both root and crown - but especially the former - look a bit worse for wear - that is, having lost the bone-texture frequently seen on other specimens from this locality. Underneath the worn appearance, however, the root looks perfectly natural to me, as it does have texture that would be difficult to replicate if the root were consturcted. I've also never seen a SO-tooth with restored root, while I have seen teeth without root. In other words: to me it seems more likely that if a tooth were found without root, it would (luckily) be sold without, rather than having a fabricated one added. Another good indication that this is an actual root can be found in the gap near the base of the root, which is where the replacement tooth would've sat. As to identity: this is indeed an ichthyosaur and not a pliosaur tooth, seeing as the enamel folds - called plicidentine - is round in nature, evenly spaced around the tooth, and terminates equidistant below the apex. The latter is a hallmark of ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur teeth, which in the case of Stary Oskol translates into Platypterygius sp. 1 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeethCollector Posted July 2, 2021 Author Share Posted July 2, 2021 Thank you @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon and @RuMert !! I really appreciate your answers. I haven't deal with any Russian fossils so I was concerned if there is any mass-producing composites like lots of Moroccan fossils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike from North Queensland Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 The specimen looks to have been repaired to the point where I would ask the question does that root belong to that crown at the material in front of the top finger in your last photo is paste. This may be a legitamate repair or two composite specimens or just to make the specimen look longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted July 4, 2021 Share Posted July 4, 2021 13 hours ago, Mike from North Queensland said: The specimen looks to have been repaired to the point where I would ask the question does that root belong to that crown at the material in front of the top finger in your last photo is paste. This may be a legitamate repair or two composite specimens or just to make the specimen look longer. I think I see what you mean with the light coloured area at the edge of the tooth next to the finger tip of the top finger in the last photograph and agree that it does look like some filler may have been applied there. Overall, though, I think the root is fine - just worn and abraded. It's common in ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaur teeth for the necks to be smooth while the rest of the root is textured, as is the case here. And sometimes this smooth surface extends some beyond the neck, especially when the tooth is worn. To me, no signs of composition. The crown, however, has been obviously glued back together. 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeethCollector Posted July 4, 2021 Author Share Posted July 4, 2021 Yes repair at the crown is pretty obvious. I ended up not getting this, because after a few minutes after purchase, the seller contacted me and told me that the tooth have been broken due to Pyrite growth inside the crown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 9 hours ago, TeethCollector said: I ended up not getting this, because after a few minutes after purchase, the seller contacted me and told me that the tooth have been broken due to Pyrite growth inside the crown. Hah! Well, what do you now! First time I've heard of pyrite in these teeth...! It's not impossible to find pyrite in chalk (which I presume is the type of deposit these teeth come from based on age and comparable conditions in the UK), of course, but I never considered these specimens at risk from pyrite decay You live and learn, though Anyway, don't despair, as teeth like this - better ones actually - still come up for sale occasionally... 1 'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted July 5, 2021 Share Posted July 5, 2021 I believe its all real, repair to the crown. Although they might be some other root repairs the crack in the second photo and imperfections in the third photo around the base of the crown look natural. The discoloration I believe is more a function incomplete cleaning. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeethCollector Posted July 6, 2021 Author Share Posted July 6, 2021 Thank you @pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon and @Troodon I got another one, which has less amount of root but has better crown and cheaper. Ichthyosaur tooth is rare in market and I guess the new one that I just bought was the only Ichthyosaur tooth for sale in the US... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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