Sdefeo1 Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 I found this tooth on the beach in Corolla, NC. Looks like a mammal tooth and my first thought is that it is a tooth from one of the wild mustangs that have been here since the 1500's. I was hoping someone could confirm that it is a horse tooth and that it would be possible to fossilize in the 500 years since the horses have been here. If it is not a horse tooth than I would be very interested to know what type of tooth it is. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 Welcome to the Forum. Can you take pictures straight on to the chewing surface, and from all for sides? It'll help with the ID process. Regards, Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 Doesn't look like a horse (Equus) tooth to me. The structure of the chewing (occlusal) surface makes it look much more like a camel (paleo-llama) tooth to me. We have enough experts on this forum that you'll soon get a definitive answer (and likely comparison photos) soon. Welcome to the forum. Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sdefeo1 Posted December 1, 2016 Author Share Posted December 1, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sdefeo1 Posted December 1, 2016 Author Share Posted December 1, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sdefeo1 Posted December 1, 2016 Author Share Posted December 1, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sdefeo1 Posted December 1, 2016 Author Share Posted December 1, 2016 I had a real hard time getting my camera to focus I hope these pictures help. Thank you for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 I don't know what this tooth is from. It appears to be a selenodont artiodactyl, but it's too large (and not right) for white tail deer. Doesn't appear to be cow or bison. I'm stumped. You may need to take the tooth to a museum for ID. 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...
sixgill pete Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 Interesting. While I have no idea wjhat it may be from, there has been a lot of interesting items showing up on NC beaches since the last hurricane. I definitely agree with Harry about having someone from a museum look at this. I would suggest the NC Museum of Science in Raleigh. 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...
abyssunder Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 Maybe it's a splitted tooth... " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 We see a lot of tapir molar caps that end up splitting in half due to the nature of its shape. I think this tooth is whole. As Harry mentioned, it definitely appears to be from a selenodont (crescent-shaped cusps) artiodactyl (even toed ungulates). Viewed from the side these teeth form a series of triangular cusps which, while worn in your specimen, are clearly evident. I'm glad to hear Harry agree that it seems large for a deer tooth. I always jump to camelid tooth and forget the more common (and smaller) deer teeth that are reasonably common finds in the Peace River. It seemed large for a deer and small for a bison and unencumbered by the thought process defaulted to camelid. Given how many teeth Harry has seen (and photographed) I'm surprised this wasn't a slam-dunk identification. I'm even more intrigued now to find out its true identity. Please report back once you've managed to show this one to local museum personnel for a definitive identification. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted December 1, 2016 Share Posted December 1, 2016 47 minutes ago, digit said: We see a lot of tapir molar caps that end up splitting in half due to the nature of its shape. I think this tooth is whole. As Harry mentioned, it definitely appears to be from a selenodont (crescent-shaped cusps) artiodactyl (even toed ungulates). Viewed from the side these teeth form a series of triangular cusps which, while worn in your specimen, are clearly evident. I'm glad to hear Harry agree that it seems large for a deer tooth. I always jump to camelid tooth and forget the more common (and smaller) deer teeth that are reasonably common finds in the Peace River. It seemed large for a deer and small for a bison and unencumbered by the thought process defaulted to camelid. Given how many teeth Harry has seen (and photographed) I'm surprised this wasn't a slam-dunk identification. I'm even more intrigued now to find out its true identity. Please report back once you've managed to show this one to local museum personnel for a definitive identification. Cheers. -Ken Ken, unfortunately where he is at (Corolla, N.C.) there is no museum, the closest is the N.C. Museum of Science in Raleigh and that is a good 3 hours from there. Also, this are is not known for fossils at all, although the occasional Pleistocene fossil does show up on the beaches of the outer banks from time to time. 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...
Sdefeo1 Posted December 2, 2016 Author Share Posted December 2, 2016 Thanks for your help. As sixgill pete mentioned I am not in an area where a museum is easily accessible but will stop by next time I am in an area with a museum so it may be able to be identified. Just holding it and observing it I am pretty sure the tooth is whole. From what I have gathered so far it is not cow, bison, or deer. We have not ruled out a horse tooth but more likely camel, but still no 100% ID? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 The common consensus I am hearing is that it looks like a deer but is to large. What about an elk of moose? Tony Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 I think I found a ringer for this mystery tooth. Look at "C" in Fig. 13-44, pp. 273 of Hulbert's Book, THE FOSSIL VERTEBRATES OF FLORIDA. It's a p4 from Odocoileus virginianus (most of the dental arcade is illustrated) from Levy County, Florida. Florida deer run smaller than nawth'n deer . . . The small sample here indicates that a p4 measures 11 to 12 mm in crown length. What is the crown length of the mystery tooth? 1 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...
Sdefeo1 Posted December 2, 2016 Author Share Posted December 2, 2016 About 22 mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 2 hours ago, ynot said: The common consensus I am hearing is that it looks like a deer but is to large. What about an elk of moose? Tony To be a moose it would have to be quite worn, but this does not compare well with the uppers on the old bull skull I have. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sdefeo1 Posted December 2, 2016 Author Share Posted December 2, 2016 So i found this photo on a website about aging older deer. I think the tooth looks like the third tooth from the left on the top jaw bone. I know everyone keeps saying that it looks like a deer tooth but seems to big. Is it possible it was from a large older deer? The tooth is about 22 mm length on the crown. Or is the thought of a deer with a tooth this big not even possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 That's the tooth, a lower premolar 4 (p4), from Odocoileus virginianus. I suspect that you've found a specimen from one of those large nawth'n deer . . . North Carolina, the proof is right there in the state name. 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...
abyssunder Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 excerpt from Atlas of Animal Bones. For Prehistorians, Archaeologists and Quaternary Geologists - Elisabeth Schmid; Elsevier, New York, 1972. " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now