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What kind of tooth is this?


Jordan

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My husband and I found these in our back yard and I'm trying to get some infomation on them. The bigger was found two years ago and the other found yesterday. 

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In your backyard??!

Those are some big shark teeth! Can't say what kind though. The one on the left looks like a megalodon. 

Those are some awesome finds for your backyard!!!

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1 hour ago, Jordan said:

found these in our back yard

*jaw drops*

My god, you've just dug up some of the most sought-after teeth right in your property! Where do you live, anyways? Depending on where exactly you live, it is possible that you might own a possible hotspot for more of these. The left one is no other than the legendary megalodon itself (sadly, its a partial, but still pretty big, I usually see 3 inches as an average for meg teeth). The second one is also a mega-shark tooth, but probably from a different species known commonly as an angusteiden (also commonly sought-after), although the only way to confirm this 100% is to look for the cusps that that species of shark has, which appears to be broken off in your tooth (still, angusteiden teeth are usually look very long and thinner than common megalodon teeth, so that why we guessed that).

 

Also, a few states in the east coast of the US holds incredible amounts of these shark teeth. States like the Carolinas are known as some of the richest hotspots for these shark teeth. In some places there, you can't go around without seeing a shark tooth. Maybe you might be living under one.

If you're a fossil nut from Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Redondo Beach, or Torrance, feel free to shoot me a PM!

 

 

Mosasaurus_hoffmannii_skull_schematic.png

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You can't do it John, the bus fare commute from Alabama to Manchester, UK would be killer!

 

 

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I'm gonna go find some tape so I can tape my jaw, which has dropped a few feet, back up:envy::envy::envy::envy::envy: I go drive for hours to look for one and can't find one, and there are two just in your backyard!?! Well good job picking the right property, I'm gonna keep looking (and hopefully start finding)

“...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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Definitely both teeth from somewhere in the Carcharocles or "megalodon" lineage.

 

Without complete teeth or a firm stratigraphic context, it can be difficult to place them to species.

 

The one on the left looks like a Carcharocles megalodon, an upper anterior or one if the first laterals (near the middle of the jaw).

The other tooth is a bit harder to place. It could be a lower anterior C. Megalodon as these tend to be narrower and more dagger like. Can we see more pictures of the tooth on the right?

 

Here is a link to a site that shows the shape of different meg teeth on different positions in the jaw:

 

http://www.elasmo.com/genera/reconstruct/the_recon.html

 

 

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Doctor Mud, do you find meg teeth in your house?  Because you dont look all too suprised to me.

 

Again, I feel like the left one is 100 percent megalodon no questions asked, (unless im being decieved thats actually a setup)  you can clearly see the shape, the enamel, and the texture that all megs have along with the lack of cusps and the thing being 4 inches. How do you clearly see every unique feature that only megs have on that tooth and have doubts?

(I might be just freaking out about this btw and not thinking straight)

 

If you're a fossil nut from Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Redondo Beach, or Torrance, feel free to shoot me a PM!

 

 

Mosasaurus_hoffmannii_skull_schematic.png

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Just to clear this up, send them both to me I'll take a look and keep them forever and ever:P

“...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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3 hours ago, Macrophyseter said:

do you find meg teeth in your house? Because you dont look all too suprised to me.

 

 

This reminds me of a scene from one of the Jason Bourne movies when he us talking to the FBI on the phone while watching them...he tells one if them that they look tired.

Im looking over my shoulder now :ninja:

 

I do find megs in my house :D I collect them. Now outside my house is a different story ^_^

 

But seriously, You mention:

shape, texture, enamel, size and lack of cusps as diagnostic features for a meg.

 

I think you might be joking about the texture and enamel as they are the same for many shark teeth. ;)

 

The size is getting towards the upper limit for chubs but not impossible. The photos aren't good enough for us to rule out that damage has removed the cusps on the left hand specimen. It's not complete. Hence my reluctance to be 100%

 

 

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I'm not sure if anyone remembers "Wildchild" and her backyard finds but as it turned out,

the fossils she had found were from a previous occupant's collecting activities.

If Jordan could provide some information such as type of substrate that these are turning up from it may help out a lot.

If they are found in dirt/soil or old rock garden..... it would help to have more context information.

 

Is there anything else turning up?

Maybe I'm just a skeptic but this find seems hauntingly similar.

 

When I move people will be finding my discards and partials for years to come.

 

Bone2stone

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1 hour ago, bone2stone said:

I'm not sure if anyone remembers "Wildchild" and her backyard finds but as it turned out,

the fossils she had found were from a previous occupant's collecting activities.

If Jordan could provide some information such as type of substrate that these are turning up from it may help out a lot.

If they are found in dirt/soil or old rock garden..... it would help to have more context information.

 

Is there anything else turning up?

Maybe I'm just a skeptic but this find seems hauntingly similar.

 

When I move people will be finding my discards and partials for years to come.

 

Bone2stone

 

I agree with bone2stone. I'm not familiar with any meg teeth being found in Alabama but I don't collect there. If the place these teeth were found is Bessemer Alabama then the teeth have been transported there. Jefferson County Alabama is Paleozoic. Here is a link to formations found there. link

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Good point guys. Lets hear what the OP has to say.

This highlights why locality information is important for IDing fossils here in TFF and in general.

 

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Discard?!? If that's something to throw away, I'm going to start digging in trash cans....

“...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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Bessemer Alabama is coal country.  The bedrock is Upper Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian), but there is some Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, and Mississippian in the vicinity (southwest end of the Appalachians so lots of folding and faulting).  South of there is a wide belt of Cretaceous rocks, then Eocene and Oligocene.  It's a long way from any strata that could have produced these teeth.  Definitely "redeposited" by human activity.

 

Don

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On ‎12‎.‎08‎.‎2017‎. at 11:19 PM, Jordan said:

My husband and I found these in our back yard and I'm trying to get some infomation on them. The bigger was found two years ago and the other found yesterday. 

IMG_6879.JPG

Megalodon in my opinion.

nice finds!

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On 13/08/2017 at 0:08 PM, Macrophyseter said:

Doctor Mud, do you find meg teeth in your house?  Because you dont look all too suprised to me.

 

Again, I feel like the left one is 100 percent megalodon no questions asked, (unless im being decieved thats actually a setup)  you can clearly see the shape, the enamel, and the texture that all megs have along with the lack of cusps and the thing being 4 inches. How do you clearly see every unique feature that only megs have on that tooth and have doubts?

(I might be just freaking out about this btw and not thinking straight)

 

I should also thank you for poking me with the "wonder stick". We have posters here at work from before I was here. Motivational statements such as "never lose your sense of wonder". Maybe a little cheesy, but there is some truth there.

It can be easy as a scientist to lose your sense of wonder, or just get good at hiding it. It's almost like we are conditioned through processes to reign it in.

Funny how a small post can make you think sometimes.

 

So on that note:

 

:yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1:

:trilosurprise::trilosurprise::trilosurprise:

 

You are right I would freak out if I found megs in my back yard!

 

 

Heres to never losing our sense of wonder. 

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On ‎8‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 4:19 PM, Jordan said:

My husband and I found these in our back yard and I'm trying to get some infomation on them. The bigger was found two years ago and the other found yesterday. 

IMG_6879.JPG

 

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19 minutes ago, bone2stone said:

Thank you for bringing these to our attention.

It is wonderful to find such things and even more so when it sparks an interest that can last a lifetime.

I am in my mid 60's now and I was a child when I began dragging my rocks and stuff home.

Many of us here can reply with the same story.

You can rely on what these members here have to say and hope you can find other things out there.

A quick trip elsewhere may yield some really great fossils.

 

There is one fossil that comes to mind that part of it's name is derived from the state of Alabama.

Globiden Alabaminsis, a species of mosasaur.

If you wish to pursue this as a hobby there is an endless source right here of specimens and knowledgeable folks

from all points of the world.

Pick your area and begin your search.

Bone2stone

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