I need help with a tooth

[J.Parshley]

Today I was walking up a small stream in western Minnesota and I grabbed a large rock to toss and under it was this thing that kinda looked like a tooth.
I emailed it to my paleontologist friend and while he couldn’t identify it (he specializes is Texas fauna and actually identified a Patelodus tooth for me last month) he found it interesting.

I found this forum and knew it was the next best place to try. 
I have no expectations and I appreciate any and all thoughts. 
 

I’ve followed the topic and I’m happy to answer any questions.

Thanks

-Jeff

[Rockwood]

Sorry. The shape is there, but the texture just isn't right.

[caterpillar]

Looks like vertebra process

[Rockwood]

Except for the texture. I'm still a dissenter on that. 

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

Definitely not a tooth as there's no enamel and the shape doesn't match. But it does look like a bit of bone to me, to judge by the break surface, as well as the texture on the bottom of the rounded part/base. Vertebral process could indeed be an option, but I'd expect the rounded base to have a different texture in that case (not be concave for one). Rather, to me, it looks like a bit of skull bone, and one of the processes from that area?

[Coco]

For me too it looks like bone, but I can’t say more.

For your future photos, use a ruler in inch or cm, or click on my last link in my signature, print the document and place your samples on it. And don’t take the fossils with your fingers because it makes the photos blur and here they lack lighting

 

Coco

[J.Parshley]

1 hour ago, Rockwood said:

Sorry. The shape is there, but the texture just isn't right.

I wondered about the same thing. Thanks for checking it out and for your reply. 

[J.Parshley]

56 minutes ago, caterpillar said:

Looks like vertebra process

Interesting, I’ll look into that more. Thank you so much!

[J.Parshley]

37 minutes ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said:

Definitely not a tooth as there's no enamel and the shape doesn't match. But it does look like a bit of bone to me, to judge by the break surface, as well as the texture on the bottom of the rounded part/base. Vertebral process could indeed be an option, but I'd expect the rounded base to have a different texture in that case (not be concave for one). Rather, to me, it looks like a bit of skull bone, and one of the processes from that area?

Interesting. The Petalodus tooth I found didn’t have enamel either but that was like 300 million years old lol I’ll look into the Skull processes and see what it could be. I appreciate your detailed response. Thank you.

[J.Parshley]

18 minutes ago, Coco said:

For me too it looks like bone, but I can’t say more.

For your future photos, use a ruler in inch or cm, or click on my last link in my signature, print the document and place your samples on it. And don’t take the fossils with your fingers because it makes the photos blur and here they lack lighting

 

Coco

Thanks for the tip. I’m on a 42 day RV trip and would have used the ruler but I didn’t have one. I only used my fingers in the video so I could show the shape better as it was sitting funny on the flat surface. I’ll make sure to apply all the best techniques to my next one. I appreciate your response. 

[LabRatKing]

A scute or osteoderm? I don’t see tooth or vertebra chunk

[Fossildude19]

I agree this is some sort of bone fragment.

 

Cropped and brightened:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[J.Parshley]

56 minutes ago, LabRatKing said:

A scute or osteoderm? I don’t see tooth or vertebra chunk

Thanks for the suggestion, I’m gonna have to Google those ones haha. 

[J.Parshley]

44 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said:

I agree this is some sort of bone fragment.

 

Cropped and brightened:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for helping my photos. I’m going to have to do a bit more research I guess. Still seems like an interesting find.

[Rockwood]

1 hour ago, LabRatKing said:

A scute or osteoderm?

That is bordering on the texture (and nature of) dentin. 

I could see that.

[Ludwigia]

It may also be a portion of a dolphin earbone, although I'm not sure if Minnesota's geology would allow for that.

[J.Parshley]

6 minutes ago, Rockwood said:

That is bordering on the texture (and nature of) dentin. 

I could see that.

Interesting, would Dentin be black with spots of brown? Idk if I see that

but I’m going to look into it more. Thanks for your response! 

[J.Parshley]

5 minutes ago, Ludwigia said:

It may also be a portion of a dolphin earbone.

Never thought about a dolphin. Were they up in Minnesota back in the day? I guess I have more questions now than before lol I’ll look into the ear bone. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.

[Rockwood]

Pretty sure that's a negative.

33 minutes ago, Ludwigia said:

I'm not sure if Minnesota's geology

I think it about cancels the dolphin idea.

[Rockwood]

29 minutes ago, J.Parshley said:

Interesting, would Dentin be black with spots of brown? Idk if I see that

but I’m going to look into it more. Thanks for your response! 

Dentin is essentially dermal bone formed in the (I'm going to say) mesoderm.  I don't think the layer is well developed in most osteoderms that would be referred to as a scute however. 

The similarity could be expected is my angle there.

[JohnJ]

I keep wanting to make this into the rear of a sagittal crest; but, it could be something like a paracondylar process from under the skull.  You might find it among the smaller mammals of Minnesota.

[Rockwood]

28 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

I keep wanting to make this into the rear of a sagittal crest; but, it could be something like a paracondylar process from under the skull. 

Just curious; would that be dermal bone ?

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

19 minutes ago, Rockwood said:

Just curious; would that be dermal bone ?

 

Seeing as it's cranial bone and most cranial bone in humans (side and roof of the skull) are dermal, I suspect it is.

[JohnJ]

24 minutes ago, Rockwood said:

Just curious; would that be dermal bone ?

 

I'm not sure.

[Rockwood]

You want strange; in humans that would mean skin bone + jaw bone = ear. Wouldn't it ?