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Unknown cretaceous tooth


Mike from North Queensland

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While sieving through some matrix I came across this unusual tooth

The tooth is from the cretaceous, albian, marine matrix from the toolebuc formation in central Queensland Australia.

at 10 mm long it is not very big but there are striations on both flat sides, making it unusual compared to the normal fish teeth that are abundant.

The edge on one side appears to be slightly rounded and the other that is chipped is quite acute.

Thankful for any leads :)

Mike D'Arcy

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Because of the striations and time period I am thinking Goblin shark lower tooth

Dipleurawhisperer5.jpg

I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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I was thinking either sawfish rostral tooth missing the root, or enchodus.

Looking forward to hear what others have to say.

Regards,

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I see fish but not sure what. Enchodus or Xiphactinus typically do not have striations. The experts will chime in.

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It looks like a sawfish rostral tooth to me as well but the 'root' end looks fishy. Could it be a xiphactinus with the strong triangular shape?

It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators.

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Would it be small for an Xiphactinus , at about an inch long?

Just curious.

I thought maybe Enchodus, as I see a slight "S"-curve to it.

And this picture shows one with striations.

img_0159.jpg

Image taken from THIS WEBSITE.

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

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Nice call guys. I have plenty of Enchodus with striations but I don't have any Xiphactinus like that.

It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators.

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I am away from my references but I don't think Enchodus dates back to the Albian, the last stage of the Early Cretaceous. In the specimen in question the striations look more like raised ridges (= folds). There were animals in the Albian that became less common or extinct in the next stage of the Cretaceous, the Cenomanian, partly due to a drop in sea level during that time. I would look at references that figure Albian teeth from other parts of the world. Best bets would be France, Russia (Staryi Oskol site), Kazakjstan (Kolbay site), Texas (check Welton and Farish's book for formations), and Kansas (Kiowa Shale). I would also look at references that figure Cenomanian teeth.

Jess

Enchodus. I have several with exact same striations.

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Thank you for all for your replys and suggestions.

I am tending to the idea the tooth is from a sawfish as this is the only one I have found as yet.

I will have to get a good look at the teeth in the identified specimens at Kronosarus Korner

The tooth photos attached to this post I tend to think is a type of Enchodus and these are the common fish tooth found in the matrix layer.

These are quite different at the root so the other one cannot be just pathologic

Mike D'Arcy

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I think enchodus, this tooth morphology is seen behind the fangs, closer to the back if the mouth. Enchodus was a pretty fierce creature. Despite how common they are, they are super interesting.

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"I am tending to thew idea the tooth is from a sawfish as this is the only one I have found as yet."

I just do not see sawfish in this tooth.

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The profile seems off for a sawfish as well as the root.

Is the tooth tip a different color than the tooth body?

Not entirely diagnostic but New Jersey rostral teeth typically have a lighter tip.

It's hard to remember why you drained the swamp when your surrounded by alligators.

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Thanks for the link Dave. After reading the 1982 paper, I have to retract my last post saying I just don't see sawfish. I now say yes, it is most likely sawfish; Pristiophorus lanceolatus.

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

 

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Thanks for the link Dave. After reading the 1982 paper, I have to retract my last post saying I just don't see sawfish. I now say yes, it is most likely sawfish; Pristiophorus lanceolatus.

Possibly, but according to the article, P. lanceolatus was a Cenozoic sawshark. The tooth could however be the Cretaceous sawfish Onchopristis (third article), but Onchopristis is known from the Campanian of NZ, not the Albian. Anyway, here are pictures of the three sawfish and sawshark teeth from the articles.

Pristiophorus lanceolatus

20121105%20083.jpg

Ikamauius ensifer

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTzAvggFHNI-Fkz0vyO1VU1rt_YNEjy5eWvYTsg7DV02JRi-TaH

Onchopristis dunklei praecursor

250px-Onchopristis_numidus_052013.JPG

These don't exactly have much similarity to the tooth found...

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Thanks Dave the papers were interesting and some show traits similar to the tooth in question.

I have drawn a very rough profile of the tooth on one of the photos as this is what is unusual about the tooth and what makes me think sawfish as the tooth is streamlined for want of a better description.

Its a pity most of the root is missing as that would help as all the sawfish seem to be similar.

Mike D'Arcy

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Definitely not a rostral 'tooth' of a saw shark. It's a tooth of a bony fish of some sort. I have not seen any evidence of saw sharks in the Toolebuc. Back in 1995 or thereabouts I asked Noel Kemp to bring over the specimens he described as Pristiophorus from the Toolebuc but upon examination they turned out to be teeth/jaw fragments of bony fish, very similar to enchodontids. The Toolebuc Formation is not the type of deposit you would expect to find saw sharks as they like well-oxygenated bottom waters. Sawshark remains do however occur in the mid-Cretaceous of Australia but along the western margin of the continent (undescribed at this stage). These latter deposits were laid down on a well-oxygenated sea floor.

At this stage the oldest published record of true saw sharks is that from the late Santonian of Lebanon (Cappetta, 1980).

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I might add that the undescribed Western Australian material of mid-Cretaceous saw sharks in very extensive and of very high quality with several complete rostral denticles (root and all) as well as dozens of oral teeth. This material is very close, in all aspects, to modern Pristiophorus.

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Mike,

I have been looking at this specimen and keep going back to sawfish rostral (no, not sawshark). It's old for a sawfish but there are Albian sawfish. I can't find a match. It's the wrong shape for Onchopristis but it reminds me of Marckgrafia in general shape though the cap is thicker especially at the base in the latter. Marckgrafia has raised ridges (=folds) at the base of the cap and so does the specimen in question though they are fewer in number and irregular in length, but then we might expect that (and a more slender form) in an ancestor or close relative - perhaps an undescribed taxon. What appears to be a piece of root could be a piece of the peduncle of a rostral tooth. Hopefully, you'll find a more complete specimen to say for sure, though whatever it is, it must be very rare if you haven't seen it before.

Jess

Thanks Dave the papers were interesting and some show traits similar to the tooth in question.

I have drawn a very rough profile of the tooth on one of the photos as this is what is unusual about the tooth and what makes me think sawfish as the tooth is streamlined for want of a better description.

Its a pity most of the root is missing as that would help as all the sawfish seem to be similar.

Mike D'Arcy

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 year later...
On 6/7/2016 at 6:24 AM, Mike from North Queensland said:

Thank you for all for your replys and suggestions.

I am tending to the idea the tooth is from a sawfish as this is the only one I have found as yet.

I will have to get a good look at the teeth in the identified specimens at Kronosarus Korner

The tooth photos attached to this post I tend to think is a type of Enchodus and these are the common fish tooth found in the matrix layer.

These are quite different at the root so the other one cannot be just pathologic

Mike D'Arcy

post-4980-0-41780900-1465294321_thumb.jpg

post-4980-0-28803900-1465294326_thumb.jpg

post-4980-0-13052100-1465294331_thumb.jpg

 

I am not 100% sure, but I think it is some Icthyodectid, not Xiphactinus probably, but some smaller fish. Enchodus teeth, from what I've seen, have different basal part morphology. Although these two taxa are often hard to differentiate from each other.

 

Fig-4-Pachycormid-ichthyodectid-and-lepisosteid-teeth-and-scales-from-the-Kristianstad.png

D, E are Icthyodectidae indet. and A-C are Protosphyraenas

The Tooth Fairy

 

 

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