Sarco or Sucho

[Haravex]

This was recently purchased as was hoping maybe it could be identified by someone more experienced. It was sold as Suchomimus however someone pointed out it looked croc like, if measurements are needed I will take full accurate ones however rough are 35mm in length 20.6 mid and 16.8 between the two side serrations.

 

Thanks Matt

[Haravex]

[Troodon]

What is the Locality and Formation?

[Haravex]

The locality detail provided was that it is from Gadoufaoua, Niger sadly that is all that was mentioned however giving that information can assume it is the Elrhaz Formation which would include both species.

[Troodon]

I look at Suchomimus in the subfamily of Baryonychinae and because of that their teeth are a bit recurved and slender unlike what you find with Spinosaurus type teeth.  That is where you would see those big anterior plugs and straight teeth.   This tooth has the characteristics of a Sarcosuchus tooth.  It may be one but what I tell everyone that ask is I really don't know on smaller teeth if there are other croc's that have the same morphology.   Similiar case to the Kem Kem we know very little from the Echkar and Elrhaz Formations.

[Haravex]

Thanks troodon I am seriously done buying fossils from the internet it's far too unreliable.

[-Andy-]

Unfortunately I have to agree with Troodon. It looks just like a Sarcosuchus tooth of mine. The base is identical too. At least the formation looks correct.

 

[Troodon]

11 hours ago, -Andy- said:

Unfortunately I have to agree with Troodon. It looks just like a Sarcosuchus tooth of mine. The base is identical too. At least the formation looks correct.

The concern I have with all of this is we really do not know where these teeth come from unless the diggers have a good relationship with the buyers and there is some degree of trust between them.  There are two formations in Niger that produce different Dino and Croc material.   Unfortunately I experienced this with material from Argentina when it was legal to export fossils.  Everything was put into one pot regardless of where it was collected.  Niger is not Morocco where everything in the southeast is Kem Kem.  We also do not know if there are other large croc's in these beds with similiar tooth morphologies like Theropods .   The problem with isolated teeth.  I do not believe anything a supplier tells me unless he's collected himself.

[Bobby Rico]

Hi @Haravex sorry that your tooth was not as advertised but still a really nice Sarco Tooth . If you are really unhappy with it make one of your cool display cases for it , label it and then sale it . I bet you can make some money on it. In the future you should try before you buy and post pictures here first , get an ID and then make your mind up. 

 

Cheers bobby

 

 

 

[Fossilgrove]

These teeth are Sarcosuchus crocodile teeth,there is also another crocodile which was on a par with Sarcosuchus  and that was Stolokrosuchus with very similar teeth to Supercroc.it was described by Larsson and Gado in 2001. ,a Suchomimus tooth is laterally compressed and quite a gracile tooth,it has a textured surface near the serrations as can be seen from the B/W photo,the other photos show a genuine Suchomimus tooth,they are serrated teeth and maximum size is approx maybe 3 inches crown size but that would be considered large.their primary weapon was their claws.I have seen so many sites claiming to sell Suchomimus teeth and they are simply croc.A genuine Suchomimus tooth is extremely rare and i have only seen a handful of genuine examples.they are extremely rare,Niger and the Tenere desert is now very unsafe and access is very difficult, I hope these photos will be of help in identification to the members.Most of these teeth croc and dino are found near Gadoafaoua in the Tenere Valley.

[Fossilgrove]

11 hours ago, Haravex said:

Thanks troodon I am seriously done buying fossils from the internet it's far too unreliable.

There is no reason not to buy fossils from the internet,there are many knowledgeable dealers out there,you just have to thread carefully and also to buy from reputable sources of which there are many,

[Troodon]

14 hours ago, Haravex said:

Thanks troodon I am seriously done buying fossils from the internet it's far too unreliable.

Not a good strategy you just have to get to know the material you're buying and do not hesitate to ask others for their opinions.  The purpose of this forum is to provide everyone an outlet to educate themselves and not rely on just what others are trying to sell you.  I wish I had this opportunity when I first started collecting, been burned many times.   Trust no one, educate yourself to make smart decisions.  I stopped blaming sellers a long time ago, I blame myself if I make a dumb call.