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Two thresher teeth for ID


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Fin Lover

I have two teeth that I found previously somewhere in the Summerville area and stuck in a riker mount.  Looking through them today, I noticed one that I did not recognize.  In comparing it to others in the mount, I noticed another one that has similar enamel on the root (labial side), although the root is much more curved overall.  Can anyone help with these?  My areas are heavily Oligocene but some have either an overlying Pliocene formation or Pleistocene lag deposit that produces some megs, great whites, etc.

 

Tooth 1:

* 14 mm slant height x 14 mm across

* Root is very "built up" on the lingual side 

* Has strip of enamel over the root on the labial side (similar to the "shelf" on Isurus retroflexus)

* Has very small cusps

* No nutrient grove or foramen

 

My best guess would be a thresher of some sort, but I could be way off.

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1060819889_302765476416112.thumb.jpg.b6fb8ba4176ab80a36c0a1d11beae7ee.jpg

1387243857_302765476266302.thumb.jpg.5f27fd03b534e18a421efbed5f947895.jpg

 

Tooth 2:

* 13mm slant height x 11mm across

*Very curved root, not as thick as first tooth

*Enamel "ledge" on root on labial side

* Has very lumpy tiny cusps

* It either has an off-center nutrient grove, or just a conveniently placed line of wear 

2021192258_302765476133152.thumb.jpg.5f14a047aeeaf5d8f577c30e7ba84a24.jpg

1281848499_302765476054772.thumb.jpg.bf70c6c2cd7cb6a6c752dfe3136845f8.jpg

803491159_30276547600474_22.jpg.0d1ebad90b0c42d3a33a0774efd5a30e.jpg

 

Thank you so much!

 

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hemipristis

Both are Alopiids (thresher shark), genus Alopias. If I were to posit on species, it would be either A. Latidens or A. Superciliosis. But I’ll let those more familiar with the fauna make the call 

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Meganeura
3 hours ago, hemipristis said:

Both are Alopiids (thresher shark), genus Alopias. If I were to posit on species, it would be either A. Latidens or A. Superciliosis. But I’ll let those more familiar with the fauna make the call 

Latidens has cusps? I’ve found 5 of em here in Florida and not a single one has a cusp.

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hemipristis
19 minutes ago, Meganeura said:

Latidens has cusps? I’ve found 5 of em here in Florida and not a single one has a cusp.

I’m covering my bases….  I’ve only found one. I’m not very familiar with Oligocene and Eocene teeth

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Meganeura
1 hour ago, hemipristis said:

I’m covering my bases….  I’ve only found one. I’m not very familiar with Oligocene and Eocene teeth

Made me go pull out my A. latidens teeth for comparison! Idk if they changed from Oligocene -> Miocene/Pliocene, but mine definitely do not have cusps. Though maybe I’m miss-IDing these? I know they’re threshers. Alopias for sure.

 

Edit: did some searching, seems Oligocene A. Latidens can have vestigial cusplets while Miocene ones are unlikely but may also still have them. 

 

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Edited by Meganeura
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Meganeura

 

This may be of help!

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Fin Lover
1 hour ago, Meganeura said:

 

This may be of help!

Thanks, I saw this post and paper yesterday.  My local book lists A. grandis and A. vulpinus, but the thresher pictures I've found vary so much, that I wasn't sure.  I guess there is a lot of variation in them, including between male and female.  I just wasn't seeing any pictures with a thick root like on my first tooth.  But, I likely got this tooth before it made it to the creek, so maybe it just doesn't have much wear. 

 

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  • Fin Lover changed the title to Two thresher teeth for ID
sixgill pete

Here in N.C., we find cusped Alopias teeth in the Oligocene Belgrade Formation. They have been compared to a European species; Alopias exigua, however they are I.D. only as Alopias sp.

 

Your teeth are very very similar to those teeth. In my opinion your best I.D. at this point is Alopias sp. 

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