Done Drillin Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 (edited) Looking for some help to try and id this tooth I found along the St. Marys River in southern Georgia/ Northern Florida yesterday. My initial thought was a proboscidean milk tooth but after reviewing similar specimens from previous posts I believe it could just as well be dugongid@Harry Pristis and @Shellseeker have both posted excellent photos of both, but I just can’t seem to decide. Are there any distinguishing characteristics in the photos I posted that will allow one to say with some degree of certainty which one it is ? The tooth measures 25mm X 15mm. The low ridge shown in the first picture is not a feature I can find in any dugong tooth pictures. Many thanks ! Edited March 6, 2023 by Done Drillin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meganeura Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 Seeing this in better lighting, I think it’s 1/3rd (Or 1 cusp, anyway) of a Probiscidean. Probably Gomph, if I had to guess. Fossils? I dig it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Done Drillin Posted March 6, 2023 Author Share Posted March 6, 2023 (edited) From previous discussions apparently these can be difficult to identify from photos alone - From what I have seen Mastodon and Gomp can have similar low ridges. Wether or not there is any validity to that I’m just not sure........ Edited March 6, 2023 by Done Drillin Spelling 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 This appears to be an unworn dugongid tooth. American mastodon milk teeth have essentially transverse cusps. 4 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 March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 24 minutes ago, Done Drillin said: From previous discussions apparently these can be difficult to identify from photos alone - From what I have seen Mastodon and Gomp can have similar low ridges. Wether or not there is any validity to that I’m just not sure........ that’s totally fair - I was thinking Gomph due to location, but I know you’ve found Mastodon there before so I suppose it could really go either way Fossils? I dig it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meganeura Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 1 minute ago, Harry Pristis said: This appears to be an unworn dugongid tooth. American mastodon milk teeth have essentially transverse cusps. Oh, turns out my initial thought was right then. Neat. though now I need to post the 2 teeth I’ve found that I’ve thought were mastodon milk teeth pieces. Fossils? I dig it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted March 6, 2023 Share Posted March 6, 2023 2 hours ago, Done Drillin said: Looking for some help to try and id this tooth I found along the St. Marys River in southern Georgia/ Northern Florida yesterday. My initial thought was a proboscidean milk tooth but after reviewing similar specimens from previous posts I believe it could just as well be dugongid@Harry Pristis and @Shellseeker have both posted excellent photos of both, but I just can’t seem to decide. Are there any distinguishing characteristics in the photos I posted that will allow one to say with some degree of certainty which one it is ? The tooth measures 25mm X 15mm. The low ridge shown in the first picture is not a feature I can find in any dugong tooth pictures. Many thanks ! I recognize the problem.... I have stared at my finds for hours trying to find those distinguishing features. I recognize the fact that I have knowledge of previous hunting history for the locations I frequent... Where I find Gomph, I do not find Dugong, and vice_versa also applies. That thought, along with Richard Hulbert's subsequent confirmation, makes me absolutely sure that this is a Gomph milk tooth... Lacking the same unique insights for your find, I need to depend on the deeper/longer held expertise of Richard and Harry... 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...
Done Drillin Posted March 6, 2023 Author Share Posted March 6, 2023 Appreciate all the help ! Have convinced myself both ways so that expertise is invaluable - I will say that the area it came from has produced a number of both mammoth and mastodon fossils and this would be the first dugong..... @Shellseeker The cusps are certainly different in your example but that low ridge ( if I am seeing it correctly) seems to be quite similar ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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