Shellseeker Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/aurora-fossil-museum-helps-identify-walrus-fossil-tusk-found-in-north-carolina/ I have seen a number and even found a Very small piece ...but I am not sure that I would have identified this as Walrus... 2 1 The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meganeura Posted September 9, 2022 Share Posted September 9, 2022 I'm with you - that looks a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitle too big, unless the walrus was... absolutely MASSIVE. 1 Fossils? I dig it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 Moved to FOSSIL NEWS. 1 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...
Harry Pristis Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 Looks to me like elephantoid ivory. I don't think walrus ivory delaminates like that. 2 1 1 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted September 10, 2022 Author Share Posted September 10, 2022 1 hour ago, Harry Pristis said: Looks to me like elephantoid ivory. I don't think walrus ivory delaminates like that. I know Harry, something feels wrong...unfortunately we do not have a photo from the base... The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 From the story: Quote It was examined by Dr. George M. Oliver Jr. and Cynthia Crane, a paleontologist and the executive director of the museum. They identified the object as part of a fossilized walrus tusk that was somewhere between 10,000 years and a million years old. @sixgill pete @Al Dente @Boesse The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 I trust the identification. Cindy and George from the Aurora Museum have seen other examples of fossil walrus tusk and probably know how to differentiate between walrus tusk and other animal tusks. My only walrus tusk find comes from the same area on the Neuse River. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 I too trust Cindy and Georges I.D. on this. While I have not seen this piece, I had heard about it previously. I also have some walrus tusk from the same general area. Though not this large. 1 Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted September 10, 2022 Author Share Posted September 10, 2022 4 hours ago, Al Dente said: I trust the identification. Cindy and George from the Aurora Museum have seen other examples of fossil walrus tusk and probably know how to differentiate between walrus tusk and other animal tusks. My only walrus tusk find comes from the same area on the Neuse River. 19 minutes ago, sixgill pete said: I too trust Cindy and Georges I.D. on this. While I have not seen this piece, I had heard about it previously. I also have some walrus tusk from the same general area. Though not this large. I do not think it is a question of Cindy and Georges scientific bona fides in identifying a fossil as Walrus. Certainly not in my case. It would be like questioning Bobby on the identification of a whale tooth... that would qualify as stupid on my part. It is a recognition that this specific fossils seems very odd matched against what many fossil hobbyists look for in identification of a Walrus tusk and a natural curiosity to understand the mismatch... Do we think that Walrus tusk de-laminates in this manner ? The shape seems massive compared to a modern or fossil Walrus tusk. Should be Odobenus rosmarus. Do matching examples exist? http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/82967-fossilized-tusk/ Picture from Thread... It would be very nice if @Boesse sees this thread and comments. 1 The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 27 minutes ago, Shellseeker said: I do not think it is a question of Cindy and Georges scientific bona fides in identifying a fossil as Walrus. Certainly not in my case. It would be like questioning Bobby on the identification of a whale tooth... that would qualify as stupid on my part. It is a recognition that this specific fossils seems very odd matched against what many fossil hobbyists look for in identification of a Walrus tusk and a natural curiosity to understand the mismatch... I agree. Surely somewhere there is a fossil walrus skull with a comparable tusk. That would be impressive to see. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 (edited) 36 minutes ago, Shellseeker said: I do not think it is a question of Cindy and Georges scientific bona fides in identifying a fossil as Walrus. Certainly not in my case. It would be like questioning Bobby on the identification of a whale tooth... that would qualify as stupid on my part. It is a recognition that this specific fossils seems very odd matched against what many fossil hobbyists look for in identification of a Walrus tusk and a natural curiosity to understand the mismatch... Do we think that Walrus tusk de-laminates in this manner ? The shape seems massive compared to a modern or fossil Walrus tusk. Should be Odobenus rosmarus. Do matching examples exist? http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/82967-fossilized-tusk/ Picture from Thread... It would be very nice if @Boesse sees this thread and comments. While I do trust their I.D, I am not confirming nor denying what it is. I have no experience personally with elephant tusk. I will say the skull that they have in the Aurora Museum is extremely large. Wish I had a picture of it to share. Edited September 10, 2022 by sixgill pete 1 1 Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boesse Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 Ironically I actually have studied fossil walruses longer than I have whales. I appreciate the skepticism over this specimen representing a walrus. I have no problem with the width of the tusk - as a matter of fact, Pliocene walrus tusks can get a bit thicker than this, by about a third - I am bothered by the length. Most tusks aren't worn down into a hemispherical end like that. I can't be certain without seeing the cross-section and whether or not there's any globular dentine. It also doesn't seem to have any furrows. For comparison, here's a hefty - but by no means maximum sized - tusk of the Plio-Pleistocene walrus Ontocetus emmonsi from South Carolina that my wife and I published a couple years ago: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 Quote It was examined by Dr. George M. Oliver Jr. and Cynthia Crane, a paleontologist and the executive director of the museum. They identified the object as part of a fossilized walrus tusk that was somewhere between 10,000 years and a million years old. Dr. Oliver is an OB/Gyn physician, isn't he? Ms. Crane is an administrator with an interest in the Late Cretaceous of North Carolina. They think this specimen is a Pleistocene walrus tusk . . . I remain skeptical. 1 1 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meganeura Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 What's the likelihood of this being a case of a media outlet using a picture they shouldn't because they didn't have enough/the pictures didn't tag in control groups or whatever? Fossils? I dig it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted September 11, 2022 Share Posted September 11, 2022 4 hours ago, Harry Pristis said: Dr. Oliver is an OB/Gyn physician, isn't he? Ms. Crane is an administrator with an interest in the Late Cretaceous of North Carolina. They think this specimen is a Pleistocene walrus tusk . . . I remain skeptical. Harry, you are correct. George, Dr. Oliver is a retired OB/Gyn physician whom I have known for 43 years. Ms. Crane is the Director of the Fossil Museum. Her thesis was on the late Cretaceous assemblage of Elizabethtown N.C. George has been with the Museum and studying the fossils from the Lee Creek Mine for over 20 years. Cindy has been director since shortly after she received her Master's. While I would say they are not experts at Pleistocene marine or land mammals, both have had experience with marine mammal fossils from the mine and others that have been donated to the museum's collection from the local area. This does include walrus. While I am not saying their ID is absolutely correct, as I said earlier, I trust their judgement. 1 Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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