dinosaur tooth?

[austinswamp]

I have always assumed this was a Mosasaur tooth or bony fish but I took this to a fossil group meeting recently and many claimed it is a tyrannosaurus shed. Just looking for more opinions thanks. Found  at onion creek in Travis county

[zekky]

Sure looks dinosaur to me. Can you take a picture of the other edge, and the bottom? Are there any serrations visible?

[Fossildude19]

Can we get a view from the bottom as well?

Cropped and brightened the photos - not seeing any serrations.

 

 

          

[Miocene_Mason]

On dinosaurs, @Troodon is who you want.

[ynot]

Or @hxmendoza

Or @Canadawest

Or @jpc

 

[Troodon]

Ditto what the others said, need more pictures.  The Austin Chalk (Gulfian Series) is located in that county and dinosaur material has been found in that fauna.   If it's that we are looking at its a late cretaceous deposit and just because of size definitely a Tyrannosaurid.  Nothing more specific has been describe.  Awaiting pictures of distal edge and base to confirm

[austinswamp]

[Troodon]

That picture does not help.   Need picture of base and across distal edge not tip

[austinswamp]

OK will do

[austinswamp]

1 hour ago, Troodon said:

That picture does not help.   Need picture of base and across distal edge not tip

  

[Troodon]

I think it is but hate to be a pain but looking for a straight on picture of the base not at an angle and one one the side serrations

[austinswamp]

1 hour ago, Troodon said:

That picture does not help.   Need picture of base and across distal edge not tip

  

[Al Dente]

The base of this looks too bone like for a tooth. I'm wondering if it isn't a process from turtle pleural bone, something like Trionyx.

[Troodon]

I don't see any evidence of serrations on your last picture.   Leaning away from a tooth however it looks like there is enamel in the tip picture..   I still would like to see a straight in picture of the base

[PFOOLEY]

Could this be a very large Protosphyraena tooth? 

 

Maybe @John S. has seen something similar in his Cretaceous adventures.

[zekky]

That base doesn't look dinosaur, odd texture. I think it could very well be a Protosphyraena

[austinswamp]

On 7/13/2017 at 10:24 AM, Troodon said:

Ditto what the others said, need more pictures.  The Austin Chalk (Gulfian Series) is located in that county and dinosaur material has been found in that fauna.   If it's that we are looking at its a late cretaceous deposit and just because of size definitely a Tyrannosaurid.  Nothing more specific has been describe.  Awaiting pictures of distal edge and base to confirm

Do all Tyrannosaurus teeth have serrations? Thought the front didnt

[Troodon]

3 hours ago, austinswamp said:

Do all Tyrannosaurus teeth have serrations? Thought the front didnt

 

Yes on both edges.  Should be from the tip to base on the distal (inside) edge and may not go down all the way on the mesial (outside) edge.

[austinswamp]

Several staff members from the natural history museum in Dallas confirmed it is a shed from a Acrocanthosaurus

39 minutes ago, Troodon said:

 

Yes on both edges.  Should be from the tip to base on the distal (inside) edge and may not go down on the mesial (outside) edge.

 

[Troodon]

 

22 minutes ago, austinswamp said:

Several staff members from the natural history museum in Dallas confirmed it is a shed from a Acrocanthosaurus

 

 

Interesting but let me point out that Acrocanthosaurus is from lower Cretaceous deposits and although Im not an expert in the geology Travis County it appears to contain Late Cretaceous deposits part of the Gulfian series.  Acro. teeth also contain very fine serrations on the distal edge and a bit more than 50% on the mesial edge.

[JohnJ]

28 minutes ago, Troodon said:

 

 

Interesting but let me point out that Acrocanthosaurus is from lower Cretaceous deposits and although Im not an expert in the geology Travis County it appears to contain Late Cretaceous deposits part of the Gulfian series.  Acro. teeth also contain very fine serrations on the distal edge and a bit more than 50% on the mesial edge.

 

Agreed. 

 

The geology of that local watershed in Travis County is an Upper Cretaceous marine environment.  It would be interesting to know the defining characteristics on which the "staff members" based their Acrocanthosaurus ID. 

[The Speeding Carno]

As far as I know, Acrocanthosaurus teeth have really small serrations I'm not seeing any on this specimen...

[zekky]

The bottom dentin just doesn't look right. Those pit like structure are bugging me.

[erose]

21 hours ago, austinswamp said:

Several staff members from the natural history museum in Dallas confirmed it is a shed from a Acrocanthosaurus

 

Did they actually get their hands on it? Or just looking at photos like us? Some fossils just cannot be nailed down without an up-close inspection. Not to mention who were the staff members? We have seen a few erroneous IDs of fossils made by museum staff who were not paleontologists, let alone zoologists or even biologists. 

 

And Onion Creek would be producing Upper Cretaceous fauna, so Acrocanthosaurus would not be likely. Doesn't rule out a younger therapod but probably not that genus. 

 

Whatever it turns out to be, it is one impressive fossil!

[austinswamp]

3 hours ago, erose said:

Did they actually get their hands on it? Or just looking at photos like us? Some fossils just cannot be nailed down without an up-close inspection. Not to mention who were the staff members? We have seen a few erroneous IDs of fossils made by museum staff who were not paleontologists, let alone zoologists or even biologists. 

 

And Onion Creek would be producing Upper Cretaceous fauna, so Acrocanthosaurus would not be likely. Doesn't rule out a younger therapod but probably not that genus. 

 

Whatever it turns out to be, it is one impressive fossil!

They were three paleontologists in the lab underneath the museum that were able to use microscope and all three agreed on the ID

13 hours ago, The Speeding Carno said:

As far as I know, Acrocanthosaurus teeth have really small serrations I'm not seeing any on this specimen...

Present serrations were viewable under microscope