Pinniped

[Shellseeker]

I have seen similar looking fossil teeth for Dolphins and Seals. Is there a way to differentiate?

[flyersfan805]

Sweet tooth! I haven't a clue on the differences though, I would be interested in what others say on how to determine them as it would help us out in classifying ours.

[Dave in Alaska]

I'm not an expert, but I know pinnaped have differentiated teeth, and whales teeth are all similar shaped. (unless you get into very early whales)

I think there are some structural differences as well. I think whale teeth are layered kind of tusk like, but you'll need some one more knowledgable then I.

[Boesse]

Hey folks,

This is almost assuredly a tooth from a small bodied odontocete; the root is much too inflated to be a pinniped tooth - in most pinnipeds, the root is about as wide as the crown or slightly narrower (canines being an exception). Some cetaceans have a "layered" histology (sperm whales, and they often fragment along these planes in the tooth), and yes - pinnipeds retain a heterodont dentition, while modern odontocetes have evolved towards homodonty - but this is obviously something you can't tell with one tooth.

Bobby

[Shellseeker]

Thanks , Bobby -- as succinct an explanation as I have ever seen, and I will remember.. My single example of what I believe to be a layered Whale tooth..