lesofprimus Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Acquired this Miocene Dolphin Jaw section and have now had someone say is from a pinniped... I'm unsure on the mammal fossils, so some expert advice is needed... Item was purchased as follows: This Miocene fossilized dolphin jaw piece was found in eastern, North Carolina, USA. This fossil jaw piece measures approximately 3.39" from side to side. There is NO restoration or repair on this fossil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesofprimus Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 Comments from the pinniped "expert"... Danny Case i believe the smaller jaw to be a phinniped... (fossil marine mammal conservator at a dutch museum, Natuurhistorisch Museum Rotterdam. So is see many dolphin and seal bones, but not from your location. So maybe i have to stop being stobborn. Danny Case well if you are douptfull i'd say Google some seal jaw bones VS dolphin jaws. But the slender, low mandible and placement of teeth/alveolar holes is typical for a phinniped species. Not sure which ones are most common in the fossil record of North Carolina, but alveole placement is what i know of harbor seals (phoca vitulina). I have to say that i never see eared-seals/sea lions so i can not state anything noteworthy about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Although I can't speak to it's being a pinniped, I can fairly confidently say it can't be a dolphin because the alveoli aren't perfectly in line. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 @Boesse Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeR Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 If Pinniped, you definitely got your money's worth. Much rarer than cetacean in the North Carolina Mio-Pliocene. 1 "A problem solved is a problem caused"--Karl Pilkington "I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit." -- Mark Twain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plax Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 If this was found from scuba diving at someplace like meg ledge it could also be Pleistocene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesofprimus Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 Thanks for the replies guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Sorry for the belated response, just got back from California last night - this is indeed a small phocid sea jaw. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plax Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Seal/Dolphin by John Timmerman is a great book for making comparisons. https://ncfossilclub.org/publications/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesofprimus Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 2 hours ago, Boesse said: Sorry for the belated response, just got back from California last night - this is indeed a small phocid sea jaw. Thanks for the clarification! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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