Texas - enamel or rock?

[johnnyvaldez7.jv]

Found this little piece...I think it's enamel...just wanted to be sure. I get fooled by lots of rocks from time to time and this may be no different.  And if it is enamel...could it be horse or mammoth? I've found both in the same area. 

[Jared C]

nice, it's enamel but not mammoth. The inner side of the enamel on mammoth teeth should be quite rugose

[johnnyvaldez7.jv]

Thank you Jared...my next question is: Is that entire piece enamel or does the enamel end at the line and the rest is mineralized tooth?

[Jared C]

you have a point, perhaps I spoke too soon, I'm not sure 

[Meganeura]

5 hours ago, Jared C said:

you have a point, perhaps I spoke too soon, I'm not sure 

Yeah I'm gonna go ahead and say this is worn mammoth enamel for sure. Maaaaaaaaybe Mastodon, but with how thin it is, I'm leaning heavily Mammoth.

[Brandy Cole]

Mark me down for mammoth plate enamel.

[GPayton]

I'd also say mammoth enamel, with the brownish section of the fragment being part of the preserved cementum that would have held the enamel plates in each tooth together. Normally the cementum tends to fall apart fairly quickly once the tooth has been exposed so it's fairly uncommon to see some still attached to the enamel. 

[johnnyvaldez7.jv]

Thanks GPayton. On these other mammoth fragments...is this cementum preserved on the backside as well? (I always thought it was some sort of matrix).  And the only reason why I had a doubt to this new piece as being from a mammoth...is the lines don't seem to be as defined or deep in comparison...but perhaps it's from wear. 

 

 

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by johnnyvaldez7.jv

[Brandy Cole]

I'm not @GPayton but it definitely looks like cementum to me on those pieces.  

 

As for depths of grooves, I have a small piece of enamel that's heavily worn with similar shallow grooves to yours.

[johnnyvaldez7.jv]

Thanks for the info! That cementum is pretty cool on there.