Spine Or Tooth? From The Lower Peedee Formation

[Plax]

Have always thought that these were spines but they sure do look like miniature Enchodus teeth. Was also curious about this manner of preservation. Have seen it in the New Egypt of New Jersey also. This specimen is from the Belemnitella americanum zone of the Peedee very near the base. Is there a name for this type of preservation? The bony fish mateial is clear and honey colored. Scale is MM

Edited November 6, 2013 by Plax

[ahuijsmans]

Looks to me like an Enchodus tooth.. a small one but still.... nice preservation btw.

[Al Dente]

Enchodus ferox and Enchodus petrosus palatine teeth have the asymetric cross section to the base of the tooth that is similar to the one in your photo. Here is a nice line drawing from "Fossil fish from the Pierre Shale Group (Late Cretaceous): Clarifying the biostratigraphic record" 2007. GSA special paper 427. Parris, Grandstaff and Gallagher.

[Plax]

will have to see if I have some of the certain spines that show articulation points, at 6mm or less for some these very thin bony fish elements all look alike until magnification, didn't notice that this was probably an enchodus tooth until I enlarged it for posting

Thanks for reminding me about that pub Al. It's the one on the GSA reduced price list, no? Do you have definite fish spines with this type of preservation from the lower Peedee?

[Al Dente]

Do you have definite fish spines with this type of preservation from the lower Peedee?

I looked through my lower Peedee fish material and the fish spines that I have are weathered so they don't have the clear honey color anymore. I do find it in upper Peedee material.

[TyrannosaurusRex]

I may be wrong but it looks a lot like a pterosaur tooth.

[non-remanié]

enchodus.... but i dont think there is a name for this type of preservation. I see some somewhat clear bony fish material here and there but I find it to be related more to a pristine in situ preservation mode. I think the honey color and translucency is more related to the fact that it isn't as permineralized as much as you are used to. And it doesnt have quite the same wide suite of minerals that you would get if it were, say, exhumed, transported, reburied... and reworked subject to slightly different taphonomic conditions, perhaps even a couple times.

Edited November 9, 2013 by non-remanié

[Vordigern]

enchodus, we find lots of them here in NJ but Ive never seen one that color, cool!

[Plax]

enchodus.... but i dont think there is a name for this type of preservation. I see some somewhat clear bony fish material here and there but I find it to be related more to a pristine in situ preservation mode. I think the honey color and translucency is more related to the fact that it isn't as permineralized as much as you are used to. And it doesnt have quite the same wide suite of minerals that you would get if it were, say, exhumed, transported, reburied... and reworked subject to slightly different taphonomic conditions, perhaps even a couple times.

makes sense. This comes from a site that is just loose very fine sand, almost silt sized, and not a lag. A five gallon bucket of the formation might produce a tooth or two. There is a jumble of belemnites and flemingostrea just above the sand that also has teeth but don't recall if it has this type of preservation.