Some Qs On Hemi, Some On Mammoth

[Shellseeker]

1st about the Hemi. I found one with color (greenish yellow) instead of the normal black. Fossil buddy said once removed from the water/river bed, the color would revert to grey or black.

If true, why? The color seems to be sharper in water. I found one years ago that I thought was olive green, but turned black over time.

Also, identified as lower by fossil buddy. Is one or both of these a lower tooth?

Next the Mammoth tooth segment. -- A strange piece, relatively small 2.5 inches. It seems that the "step sequence" of the 3 occlusal surfaces MIGHT have been created by 1) break this segment off a larger tooth, 2) break these 3 occlusal surfaces vertically, and 3) river water wear smooths the surfaces to "seem" unbroken -- Any other suggestions?

This segment is 2.5 inches -- Is it a milk tooth? Is this segment a spit tooth? Is this segment from a juvenile animal? Which side of this segment is the broken side -- that which shows the occlusal surfaces or that which is smooth?

Thanks for all those who help to solve my curiosities. SS

BY THE WAY, double-click on any of the photos will increase the zoom.

[Mike Owens]

Love the black sharktooth. Beautiful!

[cowsharks]

Both of those Hemipristis teeth are upper anterior's.

Daryl.

[Lloyd]

I'm assuming since you call black the "normal" color, that you are hunting in the Peace River. Material from the Peace is blackened by the secretion from the roots of the Cypress Trees that line the banks <Tannic Acid I seem to recall>... this is also why visibility is often non-existent in the Peace. The Mammoth fragment: the smooth side is the broken side where the roots would have been... nice fragment, pretty hard to find bigger pieces in a river because of how fragile they are.