Partial mandible and tooth ID, request for help!

[keginator]

I recently aquired this at a local shop in China. I'm assuming it's real (as there are many fakes), because of the weight and feel and the crystalization, where the tooth is broken.

 

I'm not sure how to begin the fossil identification process. If you have any tips about the process of elimination, please let me know, I'm very curious about the date period and of course ID'ing what they would have belonged to.

 

Thanks for your support!

[Harry Pristis]

Rhino lower jaw.  I don't know which rhino, but you should be able to find more info on-line.

[ynot]

43 minutes ago, keginator said:

I'm not sure how to begin the fossil identification process. If you have any tips about the process of elimination, please let me know, I'm very curious about the date period and of course ID'ing what they would have belonged to.

It helps a lot to get as much information from the seller as possible. Without information on location it can be hard (if not impossible) to establish an age and positive ID.

Is this a rhino from North America, Europe, Africa or Asia?

 

Tony

[keginator]

First off, thanks guys for the quick feedback, I think you're on target here with the "Rhino", what type is another question:

 

Maybe a Hyracodon, 5 - 23 million years ago? From some of the google images, the teeth structure looks similar to the ones I see on the "Running Rhino", as it's refferred. I can only imagine that the fossil comes from China / Asia, but it looks like the Hyracodon comes from the North American continent? 

 

Any ideas how to further narrow down what it could be in more detail?

 

Looks similar to these here:  http://picclick.co.uk/Hyracodon-Lower-Teeth-One-Growing-In-Fossil-Early-142076503183.html

 

http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/h/hyracodon.html

 

The Miocene Epoch, 23.03 to 5.3 million years ago,* was a time of warmer global climates than those in the preceeding Oligocene or the following Pliocene and it's notable in that two major ecosystems made their first appearances: kelp forests and grasslands.

[ynot]

11 minutes ago, keginator said:

Maybe a Hyracodon, 5 - 23 million years ago? From some of the google images, the teeth structure looks similar to the ones I see on the "Running Rhino", as it's refferred. I can only imagine that the fossil comes from China / Asia, but it looks like the Hyracodon comes from the North American continent? 

And that is where the problem of not knowing where it is from comes in.

Unless someone can recognize that it came from a particular formation there will usually be a question on the ID.

[keginator]

Ok, one more stupid question:  If it's a fossil, then it must at least be significantly old, right?  How long does it take for something like an animal / bones to fossilize?

[ynot]

"Fossil" is a relative term, there is no real defined age that something has to be before it is considered a fossil.

Whether a bone is mineralized or not can be greatly influenced by he conditions of where it was buried.

Bones in a limestone cavern can be mineralized very quickly, but bones buried in a desert can stay unmineralized for a long time.

Tony

[FossilDudeCO]

That looks pretty darn close to the White River Formation Oligocene age sediments.

If I were to fathom a guess that is what I would put my money on.

Skeletal remains are pretty rare, but isolated teeth and jaw sections such as this are a fairly uncommon find, but you still see quite a few!

 

It is a nice tooth.

 

I would guess White River because of the staining on the bone and the erosion of the tooth cap. Very common for that area. Hunters are looking for that bone or tooth sticking out of the surface, that is how they decide where to dig!