Shell-Crushing Shark Tooth?

[truceburner]

I sat on a rocky shoal under the shade of a tree to eat my lunch while on a creek walk today. The ham sandwich didn't really have a chance against me. As it happens, I sat right next to this specimen.

Found in Travis Co., TX. Is this Ptychodus? Might it be P. mortoni? The root is missing altogether. You can see a view of the sulcus in the 2nd and 3rd photos, and the underside in the 5th photo.

Let me know what you think, and thanks for looking.

[Foshunter]

It is for sure Ptychodus minus the root, nice lunch find. Mortoni name is still in debate at this time but in the past it would be----Tom

Edited May 1, 2013 by Foshunter

[PaleoRon]

Looks like mortoni to me. Nice lunchtime bonus.

[wfrr]

SWEET !! Looks a lot like the Mortoni my buddy found in the Eagle Ford of north Tx recently. For the time being Mortoni seems to work well enough in a general sense.

Edited May 2, 2013 by wfrr

[Boneman007]

Soon a new publication on this species will be out and most of the ptychodus we have labelled mortoni will have to be relabelled.

But until then, I would still label it a P. mortoni.

[creto]

Who is publishing a new paper on Ptychodus?

[Auspex]

Who is publishing a new paper on Ptychodus?

Shawn Hamm; here's some of his prior work: LINK

[truceburner]

Thanks, Auspex. I was just about to ask the same.