Bone? Tooth? Isle of Wight, N coast near Fishbourne. Oligocene.

[Gusifan]

Hi, 

Found in the shingle in the mid tidal part of Woodside beach (Just West of Wooton Creek/Fishbourne, see arrow on map image). Not your typical Isle of Wight fossil hunting location but happened to be killing time before the ferry and always have my eyes down.
Geology is Bembridge Limestone formation and Bembridge Marls. I remember there was a wave cut bed of soft grey clay/mud exposed a few meters away to the east which extended north into the sea (Trying to stop kids getting it all over their shoes...).

Any help identifying this would be appreciated 

it has a quite distinctly curved tooth like shape, flaring on the inside of the curve at the wider end, have taken lots of photos to try and show the curved and slightly twisting shape.

 

[jpc]

This is s apiece of bone, not a tooth.  notice how the spongy internal texture shows up on both broken ends.  Teeth do not look like that on the inside.  to what bone it might be..... that is tougher.   If I remember correctly form my one visit, the Bembridge has mammals, crocs and turtles and more.   I would guess this is a reptile leg bone based on its shape.   But that isonly a guess. 

 

[Gusifan]

Thanks @jpc, I did wonder if the internal structure would be strong enough for a tooth.

 

I'm hoping someone might recognise the distinctive shape of it.

 

[MartynH]

Hi, I would agree this is not a tooth - my view is this is a fragment of a limb bone from a croc or turtle, both of which are common finds on the north coast. Without the ends of the bone it will be impossible to be any more specific with the ID. However, if you live on the island then you can always visit the Dinosaur Isle museum in Sandown to get one of the resident palaeontologists to have a look. It can sometimes be easier to ID something with a specimen in your hands rather than from a photograph.

 

Cheers, Martyn