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Gallen

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Hi there,

 

We found this today on the beach at Walton-on-Naze, in Essex.

 

We're keen to see if anyone can help identify the fossil.

 

Thanks,

G.

 

 

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My guess is cetacean.

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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Hi, 

 

It most certainly is a fragment of jaw bone, if it's from Walton-on-Naze then it's either from the London Clay Formation or the Red Crag Formation (first dates from the early Eocene and the latter from the Pliocene). In terms of ID my initial impression was crocodilian but it lacks the extensive 'pitting' that you would expect, therefore I agree with @WhodamanHD cetacean might be a good bet. As far as I can tell cetacean remains aren't common in the London Clay, but do occur in the Red Crag therefore it would be possible.  

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Could it be barracuda? The sencondary holes remind me of a predatory jaw lined with a lot of teeth.

"I am going to dig up dinosaurs whether they are liquid or solid"

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Thanks for all the replies so far. Much appreciated.

 

(my 4yr old daughter dropped this on the floor - explaining the crack where my thumb is holding the now two piece fossil together. Such a shame!!!).

 

G.

 

 

 

 

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Looks like a fish jaw to me, and probably Pliocene or later. Doesn't give the right feel for the Eocene London Clay fossils, they tend to be more mineralised.

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Yes, this is a teleost dentary - should be identifiable. Even if @Taogan is right and it's not typical London Clay preservation, comparison should probably still be made with Eocene fish. Are there fossiliferous Pliocene deposits overlying the London Clay? I thought units like the Coralline Crag were further north in East Anglia/Suffolk/Norfolk.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This specimen doesn’t have the typical patina you’d expect from the Red Crag. Is there some pyrite growth on the side?

 

On 06/06/2017 at 2:50 PM, Boesse said:

@TaoganAre there fossiliferous Pliocene deposits overlying the London Clay? I thought units like the Coralline Crag were further north in East Anglia/Suffolk/Norfolk.

 

Yes, the Red Crag sits uncomfortably on the London Clay at Walton on the Naze.

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I did not realize the Crag was exposed that far south - how fossiliferous is it down there?

 

I can't say that preservation is constant throughout the Crag (one of my favorite stratigraphic terms by the way), but my gut reaction is that this would be more typical of London clay preservation than Red Crag. Again, there are exceptions to the rule.

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15 minutes ago, Boesse said:

I did not realize the Crag was exposed that far south - how fossiliferous is it down there?

 

There’s a good variety of molluscs but since sea defences where installed to protect the Naze Tower part of the cliff has begun to stabilise and vegetate so there’s less to be found.

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