Possible Otodus From Rare Location

[Mtskinner]

This is what I believe to be an Otodus but I've never heard of one from Southeast Alabama. It was found where the Lisbon and Tallahatta formations run together in SE Al. The guy that found it was simply playing at a waterfall with his kids and this popped out of the sand...it's his 1st tooth so he was very ecstatic and proudly brought it in to my office asking what it was. It's right at 2-1/2" long and 1-1/4" wide...no serrations and only has one cusp. Am I missing some other possibility or is it an Otodus? As always, any comments are appreciated!

[Diceros]

A very nice lower anterior tooth of Otodus obliquus Agassiz, 1843 (the lat. teeth are recurved distally more than the ant. ones are). One acc. cusp has broken off. The Tallahatta/Lisbon formation boundary should be at the e./m. Eocene (Ypresian/Lutetian) boundary, though Ypresian is more likely. Thurmond & Jones (1981 - Fossil Vertebrates of Alabama, pp. 53-54), list and figure such teeth (as "Lamna mediavia", following Leriche, 1942), from the e. Paleocene Clayton Fm. of Wilcox Co., Ala. The name "mediavia" was a take on the Midway Grp., to which the Clayton belongs, because the Middle Ages were medieval (sometimes synonymy is a blessing). The full range of the species (the type species of Otodus) is e. Paleocene to e. Eocene.

Otodus has gained importance lately, since "Carcharocles" auriculatus, "C." chubutensis, and "C." megalodus, have all been placed in Otodus (by Cappetta, 2012; correctly in my opinion). There used to be a big gap between the e. Eocene O. obliquus and the lt. Eocene "C." auriculatus, but it's gone now.

[Mtskinner]

Thanks Diceros, I originally though that's what it was but like I said I've never seen one from this area!

[siteseer]

When you look at the figures for "Lamna" mediavia in Leriche (1942), you see a mix of teeth some of which might now be considered Cretalamna along with Otodus obliquus. In the text Leriche noted that many teeth from a site called "Prairie Creek" in Wilcox County, AL (Midway Group) were small or poorly-preserved. It appears that Otodus is not only rare but the one shown in this thread is among the better-preserved specimens from the deposit.

Leriche, M. 1942.

Contribution a l'etude des faunes ichthyologiques marines des terrains tertiaires de la plaine cotiere Atlantique et du centre des Etats-Unis. Memoires de la Societe Geologique de France (Nouvelle Serie). 45:5-110.

A very nice lower anterior tooth of Otodus obliquus Agassiz, 1843 (the lat. teeth are recurved distally more than the ant. ones are). One acc. cusp has broken off. The Tallahatta/Lisbon formation boundary should be at the e./m. Eocene (Ypresian/Lutetian) boundary, though Ypresian is more likely. Thurmond & Jones (1981 - Fossil Vertebrates of Alabama, pp. 53-54), list and figure such teeth (as "Lamna mediavia", following Leriche, 1942), from the e. Paleocene Clayton Fm. of Wilcox Co., Ala. The name "mediavia" was a take on the Midway Grp., to which the Clayton belongs, because the Middle Ages were medieval (sometimes synonymy is a blessing). The full range of the species (the type species of Otodus) is e. Paleocene to e. Eocene.

Otodus has gained importance lately, since "Carcharocles" auriculatus, "C." chubutensis, and "C." megalodus, have all been placed in Otodus (by Cappetta, 2012; correctly in my opinion). There used to be a big gap between the e. Eocene O. obliquus and the lt. Eocene "C." auriculatus, but it's gone now.

Edited May 27, 2015 by siteseer

[Mtskinner]

Thanks Siteseer, thats awesome to know. If the rain will ever ease up down here, the finder and I will be heading to this creek to do some sure enough scouting.