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Aguja Fm tooth, jaw, or what?


gturner333

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I found this little guy going through some matrix from the Aguja formation, Brewster county, in west Texas. It is late Cretaceous. I can't tell if it is a tooth (as from a multituberculate mammal), a jaw section, or just a suggestively shaped rock. What do you think? I have attached the bottom, side, and top views.

 

The hash marks are 1mm.

 

Thanks for any help.

jaw bot.jpg

jaw side.jpg

jaw top.jpg

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That looks mammal to me

“...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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Here's a multituberculate jaw from the same formation 

IMG_1614.JPG

“...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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http://www.museum.lsu.edu/OccPap/77.pdf

this paper has some species in it, hope it helps

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“...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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I'm not sure what you have.  There are features that say it's a tooth, molar, but I'm not sure.  I don't think it's a multituberculate those cusps typically point upward not like those in the photo below.   But are they cusps or roots and the chewing surface is the other side, don't know.

When it comes to researching comparable specimens you can look at papers from North American late cretaceous formations like the Judith River or Hell Creek you're not stuck with just the Aguja.   I looked at my papers and nothing jumped out.

 

59404a5b248b7_jawside.jpg.f887a13712f4461f05b8d6702647280a.thumb.jpg.8afca8fb96e045df6b3e8403c0f5db63.jpg

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Okay, maybe Alphadon tooth, or some other marsupial.

“...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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There are some similarities to the marsupials i have seen on the web.  I will keep looking at other Hell Creek, etc mammals. 

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This is a weirdo.  It looks nothing like any late Cretaceous mammal teeth or any other teeth that I am familiar with.  not multituberculate, not Alphadon...  Weird, I tell ya.  

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I think it could be a tooth plate from a fish. Here's a Miocene one from California and an illustration from a publication of a Cretaceous one.

CAtoothplate.jpg

Arkfish.JPG

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