Phos_01 Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 Hello, I noticed on some pictures on Teeth in the past and recent there are allot of scratch marks. I was wondering what they are ? Perhaps I silly question, but im just learning as i go. Are these from excavating ? or did the Dinosaur did this by biting during its live. (photo by Roby) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manticocerasman Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 (edited) aren't those marks left by the roots of plants in contact with the fossil? I've seen simmilar marks like this on fossil shark teeth. like this: Edited September 3, 2021 by Manticocerasman 2 4 growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Runner64 Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 4 minutes ago, Manticocerasman said: aren't those marks left by the roots of plants in contact with the fossil? I've seen simmilar marks like this on fossil shark teeth. like this: Yes, it’s called root etching. I believe the acidity of roots helps to break down bones and teeth. This leaves what appears to be scratches or “lightning” patterns on the teeth. 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.cheese Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 Interesting! I have seen this a fair few times too and finally an answer! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 Digging in the Hell Creek you find this type of etching on a good number of teeth and some bones. Roots get well down into the fossil bearing layer. A definite bummer in an otherwise pristine tooth. 3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phos_01 Posted September 3, 2021 Author Share Posted September 3, 2021 1 hour ago, Runner64 said: Yes, it’s called root etching. I believe the acidity of roots helps to break down bones and teeth. This leaves what appears to be scratches or “lightning” patterns on the teeth. Cool, so that explains it! Thanks for the info Those plants sure took a beating on those fossils! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCSTer Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 I agree that some "lightning strike" patterns may be the result of roots, but I'm not convinced they're the culprit in the OP's photo. The lines on this tooth seem too straight and too consistent (end-to-end of a given line) to be root in origin. I don't see the same size/shape/pattern of lines on this tooth that I see on real roots and in Troodon's example. I have a number of teeth with these patterns and they all resemble the shark tooth shown in the linked older post -- not so much with the tooth in the current post. I'd be interested in hearing what others think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth_ Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 A guy I buy fossils from got this in for his shop some months ago, it's a Bone Valley tooth. It looks like the white mark started near the tip and makes no contact with the root. What this means exactly, I have absolutely no idea! Anyone got thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 49 minutes ago, Gareth_ said: A guy I buy fossils from got this in for his shop some months ago, it's a Bone Valley tooth. It looks like the white mark started near the tip and makes no contact with the root. What this means exactly, I have absolutely no idea! Anyone got thoughts? How do you know it did not make contact with a plant root when it was in-situ. Thats my call. 1 hour ago, NCSTer said: I agree that some "lightning strike" patterns may be the result of roots, but I'm not convinced they're the culprit in the OP's photo. The lines on this tooth seem too straight and too consistent (end-to-end of a given line) to be root in origin. I don't see the same size/shape/pattern of lines on this tooth that I see on real roots and in Troodon's example. I have a number of teeth with these patterns and they all resemble the shark tooth shown in the linked older post -- not so much with the tooth in the current post. I'd be interested in hearing what others think. Plant roots, they can get pretty dense. Not sure what else could cause that etching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 I agree with Troodon , the original tooth has root etching marks. Roots will follow any weakness in the ground - cracks in the surrounding rock can lead the roots in a straight line. Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth_ Posted September 3, 2021 Share Posted September 3, 2021 6 hours ago, Troodon said: How do you know it did not make contact with a plant root when it was in-situ. Thats my call. I don't..... I just put it up as a nice clear example of what the topic is about so the people much smarter than myself can discuss It certainly adds a cool effect to that Meg tooth, I'd love to see the lingual side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted September 4, 2021 Share Posted September 4, 2021 we see this a lot in the Lance Formation. Often enough we have to gently remove the roots from the tooth/bone and we find these coll marks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanotyrannus35 Posted November 10, 2021 Share Posted November 10, 2021 It's interesting how sometimes root etching can make the fossil look better and sometimes make it look worse. 1 Enthusiastic Fossil Hunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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