Boesse Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Hey all, I'd appreciate some help trying to ID this batoid tooth. I know the pics aren't great, but the damned thing is only 1mm long/wide. From the Purisima Formation, 2-3 Ma. Bobby p.s. the scale marks are 1mm each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbstedman Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 I'm glad someone else has an interest in these teeth. I first came upon them a couple of months ago and really enjoy finding them in my "micro" material. The pictures really aren't clear enough for me to try to id the teeth. Given their size and their sexual dimorphism, identifying batoid teeth is a challenge, even from clearer pictures. I'd recommend taking a look at Elasmo.com which has a separate section on batoids (use the "batoids" link at top of homepage). It's a wonderful resource for batoids with lots of images of teeth. Besides fossils, I collect roadcuts, Stream beds, Winter beaches: Places of pilgrimage. Jasper Burns, Fossil Dreams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Ditto. Interestingly, Jim Bourdon has Hypolophodon sylvestris as a stingray, while Ward 1990, who he refers to, has H. sylvestris as a Guitarfish. See, http://www.trg.org/downloads/fossils%20of%20abbey%20wood.pdf Here are 3 views of a normal tooth followed by 3 of a patho' (according to D. Ward) with a split crown. KOF, Bill. Welcome to the forum, all new members www.ukfossils check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Man! I've never even heard of these before, and there's people out there with jars-full. Is this a great forum or what? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbstedman Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Bill's pictures are great. I'm struck by how batoid teeth come in so many weird shapes and forms. Pathologicals just complicate the mix. Boesse's post has prompted me to look more closely at my batoids and make a more concentrated attempt to identify them. I had tentatively identified this tooth as Dasyatis sp. (Type H female) based on elasmo. But, I guess that Dasyatis is just a catchall label. Besides fossils, I collect roadcuts, Stream beds, Winter beaches: Places of pilgrimage. Jasper Burns, Fossil Dreams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbstedman Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Ditto.Interestingly, Jim Bourdon has Hypolophodon sylvestris as a stingray, while Ward 1990, who he refers to, has H. sylvestris as a Guitarfish. See, http://www.trg.org/downloads/fossils%20of%20abbey%20wood.pdf Here are 3 views of a normal tooth followed by 3 of a patho' (according to D. Ward) with a split crown. I wonder if the differing treatment of Hypolophodon sylvestris reflects the current flux in thinking about extant batoid taxomony -- apparently there is a debate about one order or five/six orders of batoids. At a minimum, guitarfish, skate, and ray teeth appear to my untrained eye to be very similar. Maybe with experience the differences among the teeth will be obvious. I went through the Abbey Wood piece -- it's very nicely done. (I see whoever put it together scanned the fossils to generate the images; I've tried that method and never get images that are fully in focus.) Is Abbey Wood a site you hunt? Besides fossils, I collect roadcuts, Stream beds, Winter beaches: Places of pilgrimage. Jasper Burns, Fossil Dreams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 It seems to me that work on assigning Sharks and Rays is never ending. The Abbey Wood piece was put together by David Ward. I used to collect there in the 90s. I hope to again this October when the Tertiary Research Group have their annual dig. Being in a public park, a mechanical digger has to be used to get down to the fossil bearing bed, for H&S reasons. The hole then has to be shored up and bucket loads of the shellbed are passed out to the collectors for sieving. I've tried scanning teeth too, results are terrible. KOF, Bill. Welcome to the forum, all new members www.ukfossils check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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