Small Marine Mammal ?

[Shellseeker]

A hunting friend asked me to ID a tooth he recently found:

I think it is dolphin or porpoise, but not positive,  so I'll resurrect an old TFF thread as background and provide a couple of photos..

Here is the recent find. It is a tad over 1 inch.

Sometimes I mis_identify as gator.  This is not gator based on root termination.

 

[ynot]

I would go with dolphin on this.

[Troodon]

Yep cetacean tooth

[Shellseeker]

1 hour ago, ynot said:

I would go with dolphin on this.

Tony,

That is really the question.  Do we have any "dolphin" teeth that look like this one, rounded instead of cone shaped. Here is a photo of dolphin teeth from Cowsharks thread..

and here is a photo of Dall's Porpoise jaw

 

Is this a porpoise tooth found on the east coast or a very funny shaped dolphin tooth? One problem with being porpoise is that it just may be too large. Another is that this may be a broken or worn cone shape point made to look round.  I have been searching for pictures of fossil dolphin teeth shaped like this one.   Jack

[caldigger]

I think the tip just broke off and has worn round.

[ynot]

I thought Bobby said that porpoise teeth are more spatulate and very rare on the east coast, although most people use the terms interchangeably.

@Boesse

[Shellseeker]

11 minutes ago, ynot said:

I thought Bobby said that porpoise teeth are more spatulate and very rare on the east coast, although most people use the terms interchangeably.

@Boesse

 

I agree Tony. I have actually found one of the spatulate teeth.  They are rare enough that most Florida fossil hunters do not even recognize what they are.

That is what makes this tooth odd.. it is clearly marine mammal, but not pointed and not spatulated.

I do not have the tooth in hand. I will try to get a look at it or another photo that focuses on the "top"

Caldigger may have the correct answer . It is a dolphin tooth that broke the tip off and worn by erosion and time.

[Shellseeker]

On 2/24/2018 at 3:54 PM, ynot said:

I thought Bobby said that porpoise teeth are more spatulate and very rare on the east coast, although most people use the terms interchangeably.

@Boesse

Tony,

Dolphin it is... broken tip