MarcoSr Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 This specimen (3.5mm) came from a matrix sample from Chase from the Pennsylvanian, Winchell Formation in Brownwood Texas. I'd like to believe that it is a crushing tooth but the individual specimen features don't seem to add up to a tooth. Any ideas? Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 It sure looks like a seed (recent)... Is either end scarred? "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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 ditto on the seed "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmaier Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Were you eating sunflower seeds when you found this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted October 1, 2014 Author Share Posted October 1, 2014 It sure looks like a seed (recent)... Is either end scarred? ditto on the seed Chas & Herb I can't see any scarring. The specimen does not float. It sinks in water like a pebble would. When I put it under finger pressure it doesn't give at all. I can't indent or scratch it with a finger nail. I could hit it with a hammer. All that being said, I have been fooled by seeds before as they can be pretty durable. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmaier Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Don't hit it with a hammer, that's too destructive. Do you have an exacto knife or razor blade? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 If there is no attachment scar, that would just about rule out its being a seed. A very curious object... "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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceH Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Stick a needle in the end. I thought a weird coiled hard pink seed was a fossil once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptychodus04 Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 It looks like an oddly weathered pebble to me. Regards, Kris Global Paleo Services, LLC https://globalpaleoservices.com http://instagram.com/globalpaleoservices http://instagram.com/kris.howe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 I have found seeds that I would have bet money on that they were fossils. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squali Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 I don't know what it is but zoomed in it looks fossilized. For the scale there doesn't appear to be viable seed features. I have picked my share of seeds and know it is sometimes really hard to see the difference. Can't say I know anything of the Pennsylvanian though. Looking forward to seeing this out. It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 If seed can be ruled out, how about crinoid, or other echinoderm plate? What have you found associated with it? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 3.5 mm.... Ostracod? Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 It looks like an oddly weathered pebble to me. I had thought that it could be geologic but some of the features just don't seem to be geologic. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 3.5 mm.... Ostracod? I also considered Ostracod but there isn't a seam completely around the specimen like an Ostracod would have where the shell halves meet. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 If seed can be ruled out, how about crinoid, or other echinoderm plate? What have you found associated with it? It was a very small sample of matrix but the sample contained Crinoid stem pieces, and what looked like either coral or bryozoans. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 Stick a needle in the end. I thought a weird coiled hard pink seed was a fossil once. Don't hit it with a hammer, that's too destructive. Do you have an exacto knife or razor blade? I think I'll try a needle to penetrate it. An exacto knife/razor blade would scratch shark teeth so they may be too harsh a test. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 If there is no attachment scar, that would just about rule out its being a seed. A very curious object... I have found seeds that I would have bet money on that they were fossils. Chas & Herb The entire specimen is pretty smooth except for the ridging which is evident in the pictures but maybe somehow the scarring got smoothed out. So I haven't given up on it being a seed because I have also found some seeds before that I thought were fossils. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 I don't know what it is but zoomed in it looks fossilized. For the scale there doesn't appear to be viable seed features. I have picked my share of seeds and know it is sometimes really hard to see the difference. Can't say I know anything of the Pennsylvanian though. Looking forward to seeing this out. I find a lot of seeds in matrix but this specimen doesn't resemble them. But I'm used to seeds from MD/VA and not from Texas. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 The organic mojo is strong for this object, thanks to your superb photography. I do not think it is a pebble, nor any other geofact. "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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 The needle test had pretty dramatic results: I stuck my finger twice, lost the specimen in my carpet somewhere and noticed no damage to the specimen earlier in the process. It was really difficult to try to force a needle in the end of this 3.5mm specimen. I tried sticking a needle in the end of the specimen twice while holding the specimen in my fingers. Both times the pressure I put on the needle caused it to slip off the specimen and to stick me in the finger. Ouch, my finger still pains a little. I didn't see any specimen damage looking at the specimen after each attempt under 10X magnification. Not wanting to stick my finger again and wanting to try one more time (I always try one more time than I should), I placed the specimen on a white paper plate and tried to press the specimen directly in the center with the needle. The specimen shot like a rocket off the plate into my carpet, not to be found. If it was a modern seed, it sure was a hard/tough little guy. Well at least I have the pictures of a seed/pebble/Ostracod/tooth/?????. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmaier Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Sounds like it is petrified. The other specimens that were found in the same matrix, were they worn or pretty fresh looking? That might give a clue as to how much wear is on this item. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 Sounds like it is petrified. The other specimens that were found in the same matrix, were they worn or pretty fresh looking? That might give a clue as to how much wear is on this item. Everything was in very good condition so it didn't look like the material had been water worn or out in the air weathering. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmaier Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 I would go with "fossil fish tooth?". Ever have one of those fossils that ends up a mystery for many years, and then you bump across the right reference? This is one of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Marco I have no idea what this was but I have two comments. First, if you ever find something you think might be a seed, put it in water for a day and if it is a seed it should swell a little especially if it is wrinkled. The other thing- I lost a catshark tooth in my carpet and wanted it back very much. I cleaned out a small hand vacuum and vacuumed the carpet where I thought it might have gone. Then I dumped it in a bowl of water and saved everything that sank. The tooth was there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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