Ruidoso, NM Tooth?

[MSirmon]

Found what is believed to be a tooth fragment in the mountains NW of Ruidoso, NM. I'm hoping someone can help identify it. 

[Al Dente]

Looks like a chunk of megalodon. It shouldn't be found in New Mexico.

[MSirmon]

It was towards Bonito Lake 

[DinoMike]

It does indeed look like a megalodon chunk, and shouldn't be anywhere near that area... UNLESS what you found was brought there as a trade item by native tribes.

[MSirmon]

 It wasn't too far off the path so could've easily been carried in 

[ynot]

I think someone is "salting" the site with the wrong age material.

 

Tony

[MSirmon]

I wa rethinking the same thing Tony. I've ran across a few men who find it funny to make arrow heads and salt different search areas. Very irritating for sure! 

[DinoMike]

 It may well be the case that some yahoo is salting the site. 1 question... are any native artifacts found in the same area? If so, it could be there from an ancient trade... tribes used to trade fossilized shark teeth as decoration & tools. Wouldn't be beyond the realm of possiblity for such trade goods to make it to New Mexico.  I've seen a golden artifact of Central American origin that was found among artifacts of a Florida tribe, was traded all around the coast of the Gulf til it ended up there.

[MSirmon]

I know there are Mescalero Apache artifacts all through the area. 

[FossilDAWG]

Can we see photos from other angles?  I am not convinced this is a piece of a megalodon tooth, I think the resemblance is superficial.  The small bit of the "tooth interior" you can see at the bottom of the first image looks like rock, not tooth.  Also the "fossil" does not seem to have serrations; admittedly these could be worn, but the edge looks pretty smooth to me.

 

Don

[Peat Burns]

I see what appear to me to be worn serrations 

[MSirmon]

I'll try to get some better photos as soon as I get back in town.