acron611 Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 I found this fossil while sifting sand off of Venice beach Florida. Any help on what it may be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acron611 Posted July 1, 2016 Author Share Posted July 1, 2016 Here is a pic of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acron611 Posted July 1, 2016 Author Share Posted July 1, 2016 And this is the back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmaier Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 It's an olive shell. http://www.google.com/search?q=olive+shell&btnG=Search&hl=en&gbv=1&tbm=isch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acron611 Posted July 1, 2016 Author Share Posted July 1, 2016 Why do you think so? I have plenty of olive shells and it has none of those characteristics? Maybe you are seeing something I can't see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Possibly an extremely worn cast of an olive shell. 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...
tmaier Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Notice my location... Olive shells are very common here. I've seen them smashed open like this many times. The black color does indicate it is very likely a fossil, in that it is very old... Pliocene or Pleistocene, maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acron611 Posted July 1, 2016 Author Share Posted July 1, 2016 What I'm confused is that it feels more like a tooth. And it has the black look from deposited phosphorus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmaier Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Possibly an extremely worn cast of an olive shell. Not a cast, but the shell itself. and it is smashed/ Part of the outer whorl is still there, and part of the spire is hanging on desperately. This is a common state of one that has been tumbled in heavy surf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acron611 Posted July 1, 2016 Author Share Posted July 1, 2016 Ok thanks. That makes sense . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmaier Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 What I'm confused is that it feels more like a tooth. And it has the black look from deposited phosphorus. Most all shells from that region feel like tooth enamel. Also, most anything that gets buried in those deposits ends up black. I have many black shells. Black does not mean bone or teeth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acron611 Posted July 1, 2016 Author Share Posted July 1, 2016 I contacted a professor at the Florida university and I will tell you guys what he says. As you said I know believe it's an olive she'll. Thanks!!. If anyone else has any other thoughts please share. Every opinion is important!! Thanks tmaier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrieder79 Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 Definitely not a tooth. Luck is the most important skill of a fossil diver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acron611 Posted July 1, 2016 Author Share Posted July 1, 2016 Mrieder do you agree that it's an olive shell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 hmmm, I'm definitely not a tooth guy but it sure looks like a horse tooth fragment like pieces of have. Can you somehow give an end shot that shows the small circular structure? Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acron611 Posted July 2, 2016 Author Share Posted July 2, 2016 Here it is Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acron611 Posted July 2, 2016 Author Share Posted July 2, 2016 And this is the bottom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acron611 Posted July 2, 2016 Author Share Posted July 2, 2016 Bottom: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Of course, Chris has it right. This is a fragmentary style from a horse tooth. There are no spirals that might indicate a gastropod. 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...
acron611 Posted July 2, 2016 Author Share Posted July 2, 2016 That makes more sense. Seems to be part of a three toed horse tooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Yep, thanks Harry for the confirmation. That extra view helped alot. I can see how a worn olive shell might come to mind...I was in the garage now just looking for some to see if I had any worn shells and take some comparison shots....You guys are just too fast!!!.....I'm still looking...I usually only pick up the the better ones but I'm a pack rat so let me see.......LOL.... Lots of really worn teeth fragments show up at that beach...I have many fond memories of picking up the bits...keep looking maybe a whole one will show up! Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acron611 Posted July 2, 2016 Author Share Posted July 2, 2016 Thanks Chris and Harry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 This topic just goes to show how important it is to have good quality pictures from ALL angles to aid in identification. Good call Harry and Chris. 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...
tmaier Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Yup, I'm convinced that it is a tooth fragment now. The lumpy surface is the clue that it isn't an olive shell, and more likely a tooth. Also the last phot of the end view of the bottom of the tooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Ok...well what the heck....not to beat a dead horse thread.. But, here's my garage pictures of various olive shells I mentioned earlier...You can see the general cylindrical shape of the gastropod shells and a couple views of the opposite ends of the shells...I dont have any worn ones in this view to show you. The last shot shows the siphon opening (siphonal notch) that looks similar to the circular structure in your find...You can see how your horse tooth fragment does has some similarity to parts of these gastropod shells. Continued fun hunting! Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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