micro fish jaw?

[M Harvey]

Any ideas on what this is?  It comes from an estuarine upper Cretaceous formation in Eastern Mississippi. The first photo shows the tip of a needle.  I'm new to micro paleo and finding it fascinating.   

[sixgill pete]

Sorry, don't think it is a fish jaw. Looks like a piece of a broken bivalve to me, or some type of shell.

[Fossildude19]

+ 1 for shell piece. 
Regards,

[DenBoy]

I'm going with broken bivalve shell.

[gavialboy]

I also think a piece of a shell

[M Harvey]

How about this one found at same place magnified 1500x?

[Fossildude19]

That looks like a jaw with teeth.  

Regards,

[sdsnl]

4 hours ago, M Harvey said:

How about this one found at same place magnified 1500x?

It looked like teeth at first, but on second thought I think both are bivalve hinge teeth--not really teeth, but that's what they are called. They are the things that lock the two halves of a bivalve together and allows it to open and close. Your shells may be in the families Arcidae or Nuculidae, they have a long row of hinge teeth.

[FossilGuy1024]

It might be a little on the large side, but what about a conodont?

[ynot]

First piece looks like a shell fragment.

Second piece also looks like a shell fragment to Me. There is no differentiation between the "teeth" and the "jaw", they are the same part

 

Tony

[fossiling]

Yes. Shell piece.

[Innocentx]

Here is a link for you to look at, M Harvey. I thought of your photos when I saw it. Possibly Scolecodonts, American style.

http://fossiilid.info/62

 

[M Harvey]

Congratulations,

I think you nailed it.  This is very helpful.  I was thinking conodont but the timeline conflicted.  Thanks.

[JohnJ]

What does the second specimen look like overall?  Do you know the name of the formation in Mississippi? 

[M Harvey]

The specimen is barely perceptible with the naked eye.  Unfortunately my microscope  camera can only take  photos at 1500x.  The first specimen does look like a shell fragment the second does not.  It was found in the upper Eutaw formation of eastern Mississippi.

[Guguita2104]

I vote for bivalve shell piece, as well.

Regards,