Tooth Ids - Lee Creek Micros

[Hunt4teeth]

Hello Everyone,

I was hoping someone could help me identify two teeth I found in some Lee Creek reject material I brought home from the Aurora Fossil Festival this year. Both teeth are approximately 1cm in length and have rather large roots for their small size. Here is the first tooth:

At first I thought maybe a whale shark or possibly a basking shark, but really have no clue. I'm hoping one of the experts could give me a positive ID. Sorry if there is not enough detail in the pictures above to make a positive ID, these little micros are hard to shoot.

Here is the second tooth, which I really have no clue what it could be. Thanks in advance for any assistance with the IDs.

[zachj]

can you do a close up on the blade on tooth number 1?

[Hunt4teeth]

Hey Zach,

Thanks for the quick reply! Here is another picture of the blade, it looks to be serrated. Hope this helps, the little bugger is hard to photograph.

[Al Dente]

The first tooth is a symphyseal tooth from Physogaleus contortus. The second looks like a mako posterior tooth. I'm not sure which species.

[sixgill pete]

The first tooth is a symphyseal tooth from Physogaleus contortus. The second looks like a mako posterior tooth. I'm not sure which species.

I think Al Dente has it spot on. Nice teeth!

[Hunt4teeth]

Thank you Al Dente and sixgill pete for the IDs.

[cowsharks]

Yep, Al Dente nailed it for sure. Before I even read the initial post at top, I saw the tooth images and immediately thought you might be thinking that you had found a Megachasma (Megamouth shark) tooth. I have seen so many people think that these little symphyseal P. contortus teeth are Megamouth shark teeth. Understandably there is a slight superficial resemblance, but I have over 100 of this exact tooth position; most from the Miocene of Maryland (Calvert Cliffs) and many from Lee Creek. Several years ago I met a new fossil collector from MD who had been collecting along Calvert Cliffs for about 6 months. He indicated that he had already found 6 Megamouth shark teeth from Calvert Cliffs. I knew immediately that he was most certainly confusing what he had found with P. contortus symphyseals. Sure enough, a couple months later he showed me his specimens and in fact they were all P. contortus symphyseals. To my knowledge, Megamouth shark teeth have never been found along Calvert Cliffs. Their rarity in the locations where they are found would indicate that finding as many as this collector thought he had, and what I have, that we most likely don't have Megamouth teeth.

Even though I have several specimens of both of the teeth you found, I like the ones you found. They look to be in perfect condition, and you can never have too many shark teeth You'll likely find more of these in the Lee Creek spoil pile material. Keep your eyes out for the Whale shark teeth too.

Daryl.

[donckey]

Hi

I had this tooth from Lee Creek (from matrix kindly send to me by two great forum members ) ID'd as a Megachasma.

after the information in this topic I am not so sure anymore.

Pl;z help me out

Peter

[Al Dente]

Hi

I had this tooth from Lee Creek (from matrix kindly send to me by two great forum members ) ID'd as a Megachasma.

after the information in this topic I am not so sure anymore.

Pl;z help me out

Peter

megachasma.gif

It is a whale shark tooth (Rhincodon)

[MarcoSr]

Hi

I had this tooth from Lee Creek (from matrix kindly send to me by two great forum members ) ID'd as a Megachasma.

after the information in this topic I am not so sure anymore.

Pl;z help me out

Peter

megachasma.gif

Megachasma are really rare from the Lee Creek Mine. The specimens that I am aware of came from Pliocene deposits in the mine itself not reject material which tends to be mostly Miocene. I agree with Al Dente that your tooth is a very nice Rhincodon specimen.

Marco Sr.

[donckey]

Al Dente and MarcoSr,

Thanks for the ID

Such a small tooth from such a big whale shark

Peter

[Adron]

Al Dente and MarcoSr,

Thanks for the ID

Such a small tooth from such a big whale shark

Peter

Nice tooth