MarcoSr Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 This is a Miocene shark or bony fish tooth (5 mm X 5 mm) from the East Pit of the Ernst Ranch, Bakersfield, CA that I just found going through some matrix. I have a very large number of micro teeth from the Ernst Ranch but don’t recognize this tooth. There is damage to the root and crown and it looks like there was at least a third blade which is broken off. As far as shark teeth, it does have some resemblance to a damaged Hexanchus symphyseal or a damaged Chlamydoselachus sp. tooth but too many features don't match. It doesn’t match any bony fish teeth that I’ve seen from the Ernst Ranch before. Has anyone found similar teeth at the Ernst Ranch? Anyone have an id? Marco Sr. 1 "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 Wicked tooth You have there Marco! My first thought is a pathologic of some type. But I really have no clue. Tony PS Was this in some of the matrix You got from Me? 1 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...
Al Dente Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 Maybe Echinorhinus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted April 23, 2017 Author Share Posted April 23, 2017 3 hours ago, ynot said: Wicked tooth You have there Marco! My first thought is a pathologic of some type. But I really have no clue. Tony PS Was this in some of the matrix You got from Me? Tony Yes, your East Pit matrix. I'm finally getting some time to look at it. That East Pit matrix is the best I've seen from the Ernst Ranch (color, quantity and condition of the specimens is really good). I just wish I had the complete tooth. I just can't seem to visualize it to something that I recognize. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted April 23, 2017 Author Share Posted April 23, 2017 3 hours ago, Al Dente said: Maybe Echinorhinus? Eric I had thought about that because the blade does look a lot like a bramble and the tooth looks like it might have a flat root. But the two blades being so close in size is what doesn't seem to match if one blade was the main crown and the other was a cusplet unless one of the blades is really damaged also and was larger. I guess that's the problem with trying to id a damaged tooth when you really aren't sure what is missing. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 Very interesting. I hope at sometime you will be able to determine who it belongs to. I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 This item may not actually be a tooth. It looks like the dense, sharp spines of a bony fish cleithrum or operculum, or preoperculum. In the photo, one can see two of three spines, with the third broken off near the base of the central (longest) spine. This ID would explain why the 'root' area is so flat. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted April 24, 2017 Author Share Posted April 24, 2017 1 hour ago, sagacious said: This item may not actually be a tooth. It looks like the dense, sharp spines of a bony fish cleithrum or operculum, or preoperculum. In the photo, one can see two of three spines, with the third broken off near the base of the central (longest) spine. This ID would explain why the 'root' area is so flat. I hadn't really thought about that possibility. That might better explain the shape of the specimen. What I thought was a root may actually just be a very hard matrix residue on the specimen. Marco Sr. 1 "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted April 24, 2017 Author Share Posted April 24, 2017 3 hours ago, Darktooth said: Very interesting. I hope at sometime you will be able to determine who it belongs to. I think sagacious has solved the id. Marco Sr. 2 "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 The amount of learning and information dispersal on this forum never ceases to amaze me. Great detective work for a cool mystery. Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted April 24, 2017 Author Share Posted April 24, 2017 27 minutes ago, digit said: The amount of learning and information dispersal on this forum never ceases to amaze me. Great detective work for a cool mystery. Cheers. -Ken Ken I really wanted the specimen to be a shark or bony fish tooth because it would have been something very unusual so I originally closed my mind to thinking about other possibilities. Getting unbiased opinions really helps to get a more open mindset which leads to a better id. Marco Sr. 3 "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 Could not have said that better. I (too often) come to an identification problem with preconceptions that once the answer is presented show that I never would have worked it out on my own having started down the wrong path. There will always be people on this forum with more in-depth knowledge of different types of fossils but in addition to learning the nuances of species ID from those with more experience we sometimes learn even more valuable "meta-lessons" on how to frame the search for the identity of an unknown specimen. I think if I stopped learning about fossils I'd probably stop collecting. Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 12 hours ago, digit said: ......... I think if I stopped learning about fossils I'd probably stop collecting. Cheers. -Ken Ken The more I learn, the more I realize how little I really know. Marco Sr. 2 "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 12 hours ago, MarcoSr said: The more I learn, the more I realize how little I really know. Grasshopper now on enlightened path of wisdom. (Let's see how many TFF members get that 45 year old cultural reference.) Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old bones Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 Got it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeschWhat Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 54 minutes ago, digit said: Grasshopper now on enlightened path of wisdom. (Let's see how many TFF members get that 45 year old cultural reference.) Cheers. -Ken When you put it that way, I'll never admit to it! Lori www.areallycrappystory.com/fossils www.facebook.com/fossilpoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarcoSr Posted April 26, 2017 Author Share Posted April 26, 2017 11 hours ago, digit said: Grasshopper now on enlightened path of wisdom. (Let's see how many TFF members get that 45 year old cultural reference.) Cheers. -Ken Got it also. Watched that TV show all the time because I was involved with martial arts. Marco Sr. "Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day." My family fossil website Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros My Extant Shark Jaw Collection Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteseer Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 On April 25, 2017 at 6:31 AM, digit said: Grasshopper now on enlightened path of wisdom. (Let's see how many TFF members get that 45 year old cultural reference.) Cheers. -Ken I was just talking about that show with a friend yesterday. I remember a line, something like, "I know war. It is a word men use to clothe the nakedness of their killing." Also, yesterday, I was driving with the radio on and there was a commercial for some educational product but it was the background music that got my attention. It was the theme to "Room 222." Who do you call to get permission to run that through your ad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 28 minutes ago, siteseer said: It was the theme to "Room 222." Who do you call to get permission to run that through your ad? I'm guessing you find Room 222 and knock. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 28 minutes ago, siteseer said: It was the theme to "Room 222." Who do you call to get permission to run that through your ad? I'm guessing you find Room 222 and knock. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 On 4/24/2017 at 5:16 AM, MarcoSr said: Ken I really wanted the specimen to be a shark or bony fish tooth because it would have been something very unusual so I originally closed my mind to thinking about other possibilities. Getting unbiased opinions really helps to get a more open mindset which leads to a better id. Marco Sr. I think this happens to all of us. I think we often get a little bit of tunnel-vision when we're trying to visualize and tease out the details of something that almost, but not quite, matches our expectations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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