old bones Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 (edited) I found some interesting teeth in the Rattlesnake Creek, Florida matrix that member Sacha sent to me. Mainly Miocene-Pleistocene. This matrix has proven to be very productive and has wonderful preservation. This first tooth looks to be from a small mammal, and may be recent. It has 3 roots. Does anyone recognize it? There was this item as well that looks like a bead And I really want to know what this tooth is. All help and suggestions welcome Thanks for looking. Edited March 9, 2014 by old bones Link to post Share on other sites
RichW9090 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 The uppermost one is a sciurid upper molar. I'm not good enough with most rodents to ID it without the tooth in hand and a good comparative collection. Link to post Share on other sites
old bones Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 The uppermost one is a sciurid upper molar. I'm not good enough with most rodents to ID it without the tooth in hand and a good comparative collection. Well that's further than I thought I would get with this one Rich. Thanks for looking at this. Were there squirrels in the Pleistocene ? Or do you reckon it is a recent tooth? Link to post Share on other sites
Tethys Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 I am very impressed with your photography skills, and the fact that Rich identified it that easily. I think I have seen similar teeth on here to your third pic that were identified as whale/dolphin? Link to post Share on other sites
caldigger Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Come on Old Bones! Haven't you seen Scrat from the "Ice Age" kids movies??? Of course there were squirrels...now mind you, they had big fangs (at least according to the movie). The third one does look a lot like a dolphin tooth with maybe the root worn down. Link to post Share on other sites
old bones Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 (edited) Thank you for the fine compliment. Rich is good, isn't he. I sure hope my third pic shows a whale/ dolphin tooth! It would be a first for me. It is really small tho... Hopefully, someone will confirm for me. I am very impressed with your photography skills, and the fact that Rich identified it that easily. I think I have seen similar teeth on here to your third pic that were identified as whale/dolphin? Thank you for the fine compliment. Rich is good, isn't he. I sure hope my third pic shows a whale/ tooth! It would be a first for me. It is really small tho... Hopefully, someone will confirm for me. Edited March 9, 2014 by old bones Link to post Share on other sites
Tethys Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Perhaps it is a decidous tooth? That would account for the resorbed appearance of the root. I have tried to take good photos of my small white objects with a shiny surface. Between glare, and the mm scale of what I'm trying to photograph I mostly get blurry details. There is also the difficulty of capturing surface pattern that is easy for your eyes to see, but only shows in the photo if the light hits it just right. I have deleted so many photos of lumpy blob on perfectly focused piece of paper. , Link to post Share on other sites
old bones Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 (edited) Come on Old Bones! Haven't you seen Scrat from the "Ice Age" kids movies??? Of course there were squirrels...now mind you, they had big fangs (at least according to the movie). The third one does look a lot like a dolphin tooth with maybe the root worn down. Haha! No, I haven't seen those movies, glad to hear there were (at least animated) squirrels back then! . Big fangs, you say. Well that leaves this one out then!I am glad to hear that you also think this third find may be a dolphin tooth. That would please me no end. Thank you for chiming in. Perhaps it is a decidous tooth? That would account for the resorbed appearance of the root. I have tried to take good photos of my small white objects with a shiny surface. Between glare, and the mm scale of what I'm trying to photograph I mostly get blurry details. There is also the difficulty of capturing surface pattern that is easy for your eyes to see, but only shows in the photo if the light hits it just right. I have deleted so many photos of lumpy blob on perfectly focused piece of paper. , I use an old Sony Cybershot set on macro with my finds on a paper plate. I do have a stand with a camera mount which keeps the focus steady. It also has lights on either side of the camera mount. And I do use the flash which I feel brings out texture quite well. It took me ages to figure out what works for me and the equipment that I have available. I too, trashed a lot of photos when I started this. Edited March 9, 2014 by old bones Link to post Share on other sites
lissa318 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 I sure hope your 3rd is a dolphin tooth! Great finds! Link to post Share on other sites
old bones Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 I sure hope your 3rd is a dolphin tooth! Great finds! Me too, Lissa. Thanks this is a really fun matrix to go thru. So many surprises. Link to post Share on other sites
RichW9090 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 (edited) Your third tooth niggles at the back of my mind somehow - I'm thinking a small insectivorous mammal, perhaps a bat or a shrew canine or premolar? I wouldn't put much money on this, but it just doesn't seen right for a dolphin/porpoise tooth. There are sciurids all through the Tertiary. Edited March 9, 2014 by RichW9090 Link to post Share on other sites
MarcoSr Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 (edited) Really nice pictures. I think there is a lot of debate on whether your second specimen is a bead. The picture below is a specimen from Joshua Creek in Florida. My specimen definitely looks very similar to and is the same size as your specimen. Marco Sr. Edited March 9, 2014 by MarcoSr Link to post Share on other sites
fossilized6s Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 Really nice pictures. I think there is a lot of debate on whether your second specimen is a bead. The picture below is a specimen from Joshua Creek in Florida. My specimen definitely looks very similar to and is the same size as your specimen. Native American bead1 5mm.jpg Marco Sr. I was actually thinking the same thing! Link to post Share on other sites
old bones Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 Really nice pictures. I think there is a lot of debate on whether your second specimen is a bead. The picture below is a specimen from Joshua Creek in Florida. My specimen definitely looks very similar to and is the same size as your specimen. Native American bead1 5mm.jpg Marco Sr. I was actually thinking the same thing! It is neat to think that it is a bead, but I reckon we will never know for sure. I am going to consider mine a bead until someone can confirm otherwise Link to post Share on other sites
old bones Posted March 9, 2014 Author Share Posted March 9, 2014 Your third tooth niggles at the back of my mind somehow - I'm thinking a small insectivorous mammal, perhaps a bat or a shrew canine or premolar? I wouldn't put much money on this, but it just doesn't seen right for a dolphin/porpoise tooth. There are sciurids all through the Tertiary. Rich, thanks for confirming the presence of sciurids in the timeframe that I am presently hunting in. The other tooth in question is IMHO too large to be from a mammal that small. I am including another photo of the sciurid tooth along with the mystery tooth together on a penny so that you can see what I mean. Link to post Share on other sites
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