Please, Some Help With Small Fossils

[Rowboater]

Hi, as a beginner this is a great resource to receive IDs on stuff I would never be able to figure out on my own.

The first is a scale of some sort, about an inch long, half inch wide with a notched end, and an enameled middle rising to a slight point near the notched end.

The second (have two very similar) is about an inch wide with points on either side, 0.3 inch long with a plate of six long teeth (?) on each side; the opposite side has two big depressions and the leading edge between the points has fine scales (or teeth?)

The third (have three, one worn away to a nub) is wedge shaped with a blunt point in front(?), half inch long, less than an inch wide. The top(?) is roughly triangular with a medial crease, the sides flare up in the back. The bottom has a medial ridge, depressions on either side, and thickening to the sides and on either side of the front point. There are four holes/channels visible from the back, and these merge into one opening on the side. There is no enamel, looks like fine bone. The three samples were collected at three different places near the Rappahannock river.

The last is the most difficult to describe. From the bottom it looks like a small pecan (an inch long) with one end more pointed than the other; there are hints of black bumps on the sides. The blunt end is flattened on top with small ridges on either side. Two enameled ridges arise together in the middle then join into a single notched ridge which continues to the point. It must be a piece of something else but I don't recognize anything else like it.

My cell phone pictures are not great but I appreciate your ideas as to their IDs!

[howard_l]

Definitely fossil material but the pictures are not clear enough to tell exactly what is there, I am thinking Vertebrate material which I have very little experience with.

[ted coulianos]

pictures are pretty blurry, but from what I can see (top left pic, middle row,bottom two) you have 2 puffer fish mouth plates (genus Diodon ?); specimen on right is a sting-ray dermal denticle;middle row,top may be a hypercalcified fish bone; not even sure what the left-hand specimens are-possible tail or skull elements; perhaps with clearer photos and description of locality some other members will be able to help with i.d. Hope this helps.

[Fossildude19]

I agree with Ted's assessment.

Regards,

[Rowboater]

Thanks so much for the puffer fish mouth plate ID, would never have figured that out on my own. Lots of detail for such a small fossil.

I have seen other sting ray dermal denticles and probably have a better specimen, but just had a vague idea of scales or scutes.

The two and a half vertebrae/ tail/ skull pieces were found in creek beds or on beaches near the Rappahannock, but finding three within a year makes me believe they must be fairly common. Will try to get better photos of the best one.

The fourth is a small compressed bulbous piece that I would have passed as a rock except for the fine enameled ridge on top (or bottom). I found a similar size and shape "rock" without the enameled edge that I picked up for some reason. Difficult to photograph with a cell phone, but I'll retry.

[LongWalks]

Your picture two's lower right 2 objects resemble my picture from yesterdays post "Beach Walks -N Fla 01" items 1 and 2.

[Rowboater]

Thanks so much LongWalks. I looked at your thread, pic appears identical to mine, and also looked up several from February 2, 2012. Bonita noses, good to know!

Just one more to solve...

[LongWalks]

Found mine at Jacksonville Beach . . . Where did you find your two?

[Rowboater]

Mine were on a beach on the Rappahannock River (Virginia) and in a small side creek, mixed in with lots of shell and occasional shark teeth.

[Rowboater]

The unsolved one is similar to some others I picked up except those are all darker (some having glossy black enamel spots) and none have the detail of the gray mottled one. Most of them sit with a preferred orientation, and when pushed on their "side" they tend to rock back up with a thin ridge/ crest on top. Maybe hyperostosis as noted above? Nothing dramatic except for the one pictured which is more pale and has a more pronounced crest arising from a V with glossy black enamel edges.

More bad pictures: