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New Jersey Mosasaur tooth ID help


frankh8147

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Greetings!

 

I recently found this partial (what I believe to be) Mosasaur tooth and the texture of the enamel isn't typical of the Mosasaur I have found. I was wondering if this is consistent with any particular species of Mosasaur or if it's just a different type of preservation than I am used to. 

 

It was found in the Monmouth County NJ Cretaceous and the bottom part of the tooth is broken. Thanks in advance for your help! -Frank

 

.6 inch

Two cutting edges

 

mos1.jpg

mos21.jpg

mos12.jpg

MOS111.jpg

mos2.jpg

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Dear @frankh8147

 

Though the specimen is worn, it does seem to be a mosasaur tooth. The cracked texture on the labial and lingual surfaces resulted from abrasion from water, and so it may be that the tooth was washed for a long distance before it was finally deposited. Another explanation for the erosion could be that the tooth was reworked from earlier sediment. NB: this tooth cannot be Deinosuchus (the teeth of this species being characterized by heavily wrinkled enamel) because the enamel is irregularly worn and abraded. Additionally, Deinosuchus is not known from the Maastrichtian, the age of the fossiliferous deposits at Big Brook (Mt. Laurel, "Wenonah", and Navesink Formations). Congratulations on your find. 

 

Regards, 

 

Chase

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I'd also agree with globidens. As you can see, the tooth is a bit rounder and "stumpy", more sphere-like than blade-like or conical. Only globidents have this trait in mosasaur teeth (i.e. Globidens and related species), plus the shape of enamel is very similar. Also, other globidents don't really occur in New Jersey, so that just leaves Globidens.

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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Wow, thanks everyone! I've been collecting Mosasaur teeth in New Jersey streams for years and didnt even know globidens was here. I do have to say though, that's what its looking like to me too!

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Globidens is exceedingly rare in NJ. I know of only a single one ever having been found (not by me, sadly). I agree that it looks like it could be Globidens. Outstanding find! @non-remanié!

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@frankh8147

 

You are really finding some great, rare fossils there sir. 

Kudos to you, for your sharp eyes. ;) 

Well done.

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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It doesn't really look like a Globidens. Globidens teeth don't have distinct cutting edges. Their tip is also a little pointy spot, kind of like an acorn. This tooth's tip is more like the classical Mosasaur tooth. The enamel is quite interesting.

“You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.” ― Mikhail Tal

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Thanks again everyone! I was able to find a few globidens with semi-similar edges but I agree that it's not a common trait. I'm thinking at this point, that it's probably worth a follow up and will contact some professionals who can look at it 'in hand' (pending anything definitive here).

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9 hours ago, josephstrizhak said:

It doesn't really look like a Globidens. Globidens teeth don't have distinct cutting edges. Their tip is also a little pointy spot, kind of like an acorn. This tooth's tip is more like the classical Mosasaur tooth. The enamel is quite interesting.

As far as I know, the anterior teeth in a Globidens jaw are a little classic-mosasaur-like compared to the traditional sphere-like ones in the middle and posterior. Here's an example from one of @LanceH's Globidens jaw from Texas.

3yF3Xkw.png

Notice how the anterior teeth, (which have been circled in red,)  are a bit more conical compared to the middle and posterior.

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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16 hours ago, Macrophyseter said:

As far as I know, the anterior teeth in a Globidens jaw are a little classic-mosasaur-like compared to the traditional sphere-like ones in the middle and posterior. Here's an example from one of @LanceH's Globidens jaw from Texas.

3yF3Xkw.png

Notice how the anterior teeth, (which have been circled in red,)  are a bit more conical compared to the middle and posterior.

Thanks for this comparison! I was trying to find images of globidens from the USA; most of the images online I could find were teeth from Morocco and I wasn't sure if there were major differences between the teeth here and there.

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18 hours ago, Macrophyseter said:

As far as I know, the anterior teeth in a Globidens jaw are a little classic-mosasaur-like compared to the traditional sphere-like ones in the middle and posterior. Here's an example from one of @LanceH's Globidens jaw from Texas.

3yF3Xkw.png

Notice how the anterior teeth, (which have been circled in red,)  are a bit more conical compared to the middle and posterior.

Thanks for the picture; I couldn't find anything of the like on the internet. Do you know why there appears to be a gap in between the 6th and 7th teeth and another gap after the 8th tooth in the jaw at the top of the photo, and a gap between the 3rd and 4th teeth (counting from the posterior end) in the jaw at the bottom of the photo? It looks like those spots lack a tooth socket. Thanks

“You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.” ― Mikhail Tal

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9 minutes ago, josephstrizhak said:

Do you know why there appears to be a gap in between the 6th and 7th teeth and another gap after the 8th tooth in the jaw at the top of the photo, and a gap between the 3rd and 4th teeth (counting from the posterior end) in the jaw at the bottom of the photo? It looks like those spots lack a tooth socket. Thanks

It appears to be that the gap could have been a tooth that was completely broken off and the socket worn down completely. If you were to imagine another tooth in the gap, it would fit perfectly, so I'm guessing that it was just broken off and worn down.

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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Awesome! Thanks again to everyone for the help on this. There is very limited information on New Jersey globidens so I'm intending to follow up on this one. Thanks again!  -Frank

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  • 2 weeks later...

For the record, this isn't globidens/carinodens, unfortunately.  It's a slightly more worn and altered tip of a larger mosasaur tooth.  Some mosasaur teeth from NJ have these slightly irregular features in the enameloid just near the very tip of the tooth.  Note that Frank's piece is a smaller portion than this from just the very tip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WP_20171015_17_44_50_Pro.jpg.07d6d5a66ef998acfe2c92f0b39e48b6.jpg

---Wie Wasser schleift den Stein, wir steigen und fallen---

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After comparing this to Steve's

19 hours ago, non-remanié said:

For the record, this isn't globidens/carinodens, unfortunately.  It's a slightly more worn and altered tip of a larger mosasaur tooth.  Some mosasaur teeth from NJ have these slightly irregular features in the enameloid just near the very tip of the tooth.  Note that Frank's piece is a smaller portion than this from just the very tip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WP_20171015_17_44_50_Pro.jpg.07d6d5a66ef998acfe2c92f0b39e48b6.jpg

After comparing this to Steve's, in hand, I completely agree. Thanks again Steve for taking the time and let me know when you can get back into the streams!

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