Florida Camel/Llama tooth Identification

[Shellseeker]

I found something new (to me) in differentiating the two most common (Hemiauchenia macrocephala and Palaeolama mirifica)  Llama/Camels in the Florida fossil record and decided to share. One differentiating factors is the presense of crenulations (Palaeolama mirifica) or lack of crenulations (Hemiauchenia macrocephala)

Quote

cren·u·lat·ed (-lā′tĭd)adj.

Having a margin or contour with shallow, usually rounded notches and projections; finely notched or scalloped: a crenulate leaf; a crenulate coastline.

A couple of month back I found what I believed to be a Hemiauchenia macrocephala lower left m3 molar. Note the relatively narrow enamel height.  Lots of root, less enamel than I expected.

 

Bother by this difference in enamel height,  I wondered if this was a old senile tooth worn down to the roots; I started to wonder of it might be a lower p3 rather than an m3, I wondered if it might be an upper M3...

Then I came across a very extensive description of Hemiauchenia macrocephala on the website for the University of Florida Museum of Natural History and found this Hemiauchenia macrocephala lower left m3.

 

and this caption..

So that is the identification tip for Florida fossil hunters who like me did not know that on some Hemiauchenia macrocephala teeth there is a layer of cementum covering some of the enamel making it look shorter, and that same effect can not occur on Palaeolama mirifica molars.