bmoviefanatic Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 I found this tooth today in a small creek in Bath County Kentucky. Just wanted to see if anyone has an idea of what it might be from. It is 2 3/4" tall and 2" wide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcbshark Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Looks bovine to me : ) Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Maybe bison? I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Nice. Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmoviefanatic Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 I think both of you guys are right. After a little research I believe it is a bison tooth. Does anyone know how long it takes a tooth like this to fossilize and turn black like this? Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtdog Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 (edited) Nice tooth.😁 Edited June 1, 2016 by Dirtdog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNCollector Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 (edited) I think both of you guys are right. After a little research I believe it is a bison tooth. Does anyone know how long it takes a tooth like this to fossilize and turn black like this? Thanks guys. It is not easy to tell. Objects can be stained black like a fossil after several years in a blackwater creek, however, this does not mean that this is not a fossil. Kentucky and Tennessee both often have Pleistocene river deposits all over the place, and some do contain fossils. Try cleaning it with a toothbrush and let it completely dry out. If it lightens up, it is likely not that old. If it is a cow and definitely not a bison, then it is definitely not old, because cows did not arrive until humans inhabited the area. I will leave that to the mammal tooth gurus. EDIT: Looking at pics 4 through 7, it appears that the tooth has some white undertones coming out. I think this is a cow tooth, probably not a fossil. Regardless, it is still an interesting tooth. I have a deer vertebrae (not fossilized) that I found displayed in my fossil cabinet. It is a good reference piece. Edited June 1, 2016 by TNCollector Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 For comparison: 2 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmoviefanatic Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 (edited) It has a crown length of 47 mm. Edited June 1, 2016 by bmoviefanatic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gturner333 Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 It looks very much like a bison tooth I found in Denton Creek, which is in North Texas. It is about the same size as mine at 40mm. Does it feel much heavier than what you would think a modern tooth would? I don't have a good scale, or I would tell you how much mine weighs. Looks like a nice find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmoviefanatic Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 It does have a heavy feel, it weighed in at 1.7 ounces on our food scale. I asked my father-in-law, who has been in the cattle business for almost 50 years, he said nothing walking around here now has a tooth that big.It is at least twice the size of a cow tooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdeutsch Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 It doesn't have to be a fossil to be a bison tooth. They were found wild in Indiana until 1800 or so https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/27785281.pdf?_=1464900288402 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmoviefanatic Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 They were last reported in Kentucky around 1820, so I don't know how old it is. It could be from the 1600's,1700's, 1800's or much older. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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