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hemipristis

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I found this “sand tiger” tooth in the Miocene Pungo River strata within the Lee Creek mine (Aurora, North Carolina). It does not resemble any other lamniform teeth that I have from the mine, but it does remind me of Brachycarcharias lerechei, an Eocene species. I was thinking it might be reworked.


The tooth is 26mm in length, with “wrinkles” on the lingual face

 

@MarcoSr @Al Dente  Thoughts?

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Edited by hemipristis

'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'

George Santayana

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I have many thousands of Brachycarcharias lerichei from the Eocene of Virginia.  The specimens I find can have both smooth or striated lingual faces.  Usually they have multiple cusplets but I have teeth with more triangular primary cusplets on each shoulder (no secondary cusplets).  Your tooth would be closest to a lower lateral.  However, I agree with Eric that the crown is very narrow compared to the lower laterals that I see.  Plus the nutrient groove is much wider and deeper than I see.  A lot of the specimens I see (these are pristine specimens)  the nutrient grove is not very noticeable at all.  So I really don’t think that the tooth is Brachycarcharias lerichei.

 

The tooth looks closer to Sylvestrilamia teretidens, but that is another Paleocene/Eocene tooth.   I’ve heard Eocene teeth could be found at Lee Creek but I never found any that I was aware of.

 

The strong folds or wrinkles seen in anterior teeth of Carcharias taurus weaken significantly or disappear in lateral teeth (per elasmo.com).  This may be an example where the wrinkles are just more prominent in a lateral tooth than usual.

 

Marco Sr.

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15 hours ago, Al Dente said:

I think Brachycarchaias has a more broad blade. 

 

14 hours ago, MarcoSr said:

I have many thousands of Brachycarcharias lerichei from the Eocene of Virginia.  The specimens I find can have both smooth or striated lingual faces.  Usually they have multiple cusplets but I have teeth with more triangular primary cusplets on each shoulder (no secondary cusplets).  Your tooth would be closest to a lower lateral.  However, I agree with Eric that the crown is very narrow compared to the lower laterals that I see.  Plus the nutrient groove is much wider and deeper than I see.  A lot of the specimens I see (these are pristine specimens)  the nutrient grove is not very noticeable at all.  So I really don’t think that the tooth is Brachycarcharias lerichei.

 

The tooth looks closer to Sylvestrilamia teretidens, but that is another Paleocene/Eocene tooth.   I’ve heard Eocene teeth could be found at Lee Creek but I never found any that I was aware of.

 

The strong folds or wrinkles seen in anterior teeth of Carcharias taurus weaken significantly or disappear in lateral teeth (per elasmo.com).  This may be an example where the wrinkles are just more prominent in a lateral tooth than usual.

 

Marco Sr.

Thanks guys. I appreciate your expertise.

 

@siteseer

I meant to include you on my query. Thoughts?

'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'

George Santayana

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If it has a smooth crown, I think it's a worn Carcharias cuspidatus tooth.  I can't tell if it was smooth and now it's just weathered.

 

Brachycarcharias didn't survive into the Oligocene and I don't think it's known from the Late Eocene.

Edited by siteseer
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