Collection Of Knowns & Unknowns

[Shellseeker]

What a gorgeous day yesterday. I was with friends: the water is clear, not a cloud in the sky, sun is shining, the birds are singing, even a gator or two. Most of the time, I realize how truly fortunate I am to live so close to pursue this hobby.

I was digging in a jumble of gravel for a mix of Miocene-Pleistocene treasure and my luck was holding. Any day with a Sloth tooth is an outstanding day on the river. So a few knowns: Sloth Tooth, a perfect ectocuneiform (an equus tarsal, but Harry will confirm), and a Petrous portion of a temporal bone - horse again , I think).

The petrous portion of the temporal bone or pyramid is pyramidal and is wedged in at the base of the skull between the sphenoid and occipital bones -- wikipedia

But what of the unknowns? a tooth,

and a couple of distal toe bones? ID Help needed.

Toe or maybe not --

[Shellseeker]

Got back to searching the internet and found this link: http://www.paleodiscoveries.com/Tapir.html

The tooth is clearly a Tapir Incisor, and the first one that my group of fossil hunters has found. There are only 2 in each jaw and thus rarer than molars.

[PrehistoricFlorida]

Tapir incisor, giant tortoise claw core, and partial giant tortoise spur.

[AgrilusHunter]

Tapir incisor, giant tortoise claw core, and partial giant tortoise spur.

Well now that is a cool list! Great finds!

[PrehistoricFlorida]

The horse bone is actually a carpal, it's a magnum.

[PrehistoricFlorida]

Got back to searching the internet and found this link: http://www.paleodisc....com/Tapir.html

The tooth is clearly a Tapir Incisor, and the first one that my group of fossil hunters has found. There are only 2 in each jaw and thus rarer than molars.

Not sure what you mean by tapirs only having two incisors in each jaw, but a tapir has six lower incisors.

Edited January 24, 2013 by PrehistoricFlorida

[Shellseeker]

Nate, thanks for the insights --- I was trying to guess the size of the animal with these toe bones and then search the net for that animal name "fossil distal". Not sure I would have been successful on "giant tortoise" -- I have been finding a number of large chunks of shell so this makes sense. I have a friend who collect these and will be pleased.

When I find a large piece of turtle/tortoise shell in a Florida river, should I be thinking land tortoise or sea turtle as more likely?

On the Magnum, I have found magnums previously. I thought they has a unique shape, but then I bumped into Ectocuneiforms, which to me are so similar to be difficult to distinguish. Is there an easy way to distinguish or a couple of photos that clearly show the differences? Many photos of the ankle show the "edges' rather than faces of the bones?

Once again , thanks for the IDs. SS

EDIT -- While searching for Tapir Incisors, must have mis-interperted a statement on one of the internet photos on how many incisors the Tapir has ---

Edited January 24, 2013 by Shellseeker

[PrehistoricFlorida]

SS, check out this site: http://chestofbooks.com/animals/horses/Health-Disease-Treatment-2/Carpus-Or-Knee.html#.UQC1sCfLQa4