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Rib, Tusk, Or Tooth?


Badger33

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The annular rings look a bit tusky...I can't make out any Schrager lines, though.

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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Sirenian rib fragment, probably Metaxytherium crataegense if you're finding Miocene material. Those annular rings Auspex referred to are commonly seen in sirenian ribs.

Edited by calhounensis
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Thanks for the responses. That is what I was leaning towards after seeing simialr posts on this forum.

At first I thought it resembled a walrus tusk or whale tooth. However, the concentric lines did not extend into the core like Sperm Whale Teeth. And the cross-section seemed to lack the more porous inner dentine of Walrus tusk that is typically finely compacted with a mottled appearance .......characterized as having a "marbled or oatmeal-like" appearance by Espinoza and Mann (1992, p.14).

The concentric growth rings and iridescent mineralization (in places visible with hand lens) were throwing me off, but apparently these growth rings are typical for Sirenian ribs.

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