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tatehntr

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Hi everyone, 

 

I just returned from a morning beach hunting trip and found what I'm thinking is a small meg. I'm not entirely sure though, because nearly every other larger tooth I've found here has been identified as angustidens. It was found on Wrightsville Beach/ Wilmington, North Carolina. I'm thinking meg because of the lack of cusps. Anyone?

 

meg1.thumb.jpeg.f98caccf51da8df34ccc89c74f6da77d.jpegmeg2.thumb.jpeg.107f466273218f30193ca115b4b73fe8.jpegmeg3.thumb.jpeg.b6a315ba297d183db4fce6c159eae5ee.jpeg

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Maybe the cusps were broke or worn off?

Dipleurawhisperer5.jpg

I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie.

 

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4 minutes ago, Darktooth said:Maybe the cusps were broke or worn off?

This was my first thought but the more I look at it the less evidence of cusps I see. The cusps on the other teeth I’ve found were quite pronounced, and even the less pronounced ones are quite noticeable up close. With this tooth, I can follow the serrations on either side all the way up to the root. There does not seem to be any evidence of wearing or breaking of cusps to me at least. 

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+1 for cusps broken or worn off. That root is chewed up and the cusps for some of the Auriculatus can be quite prounonced and easily snap off or are worn down. The root is in a poor state of preservation. 

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17 minutes ago, Al Dente said:

I think it is an auriculatus with the side cusps broken off.

What would make you say auriculatus over angustidens? I can’t really tell the difference 

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1 hour ago, tatehntr said:

What would make you say auriculatus over angustidens? I can’t really tell the difference 

Location and geology. Around Wilmington you have the Eocene Castle Hayne Formation which produces auriculatus. To the northeast (Onslow and Jones counties) you will get into Oligocene where you will find angustidens. There will always be some leftover fossils from where younger deposits have eroded away in your area but I think a lot of your large shark teeth are Eocene.

map.JPG

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7 hours ago, tatehntr said:

This was my first thought but the more I look at it the less evidence of cusps I see. The cusps on the other teeth I’ve found were quite pronounced, and even the less pronounced ones are quite noticeable up close. With this tooth, I can follow the serrations on either side all the way up to the root. There does not seem to be any evidence of wearing or breaking of cusps to me at least. 

 

From what I can see of the serrations on your tooth in the pictures, the serrations look too irregular for your tooth to be a megalodon.  There can be a wide variation in cusplet size, shape and location on auriculatus teeth from NC.  The below illustration from "Cretaceous and Paleogene Fossils of North Carolina" 1995 by the North Carolina Fossil Club shows this variation.  One variant shown has no noticeable cusplet at all and another variant has a very small cusplet.  A third variant has a serrated area by the root and then two small cusplets.  

 

5b05e4750edc2_Otodusauriculatus.thumb.jpg.59d885fee40fbab0617765cf23c1cb22.jpg

 

Marco Sr.

"Any day that you can fossil hunt is a great day."

My family fossil website     Some Of My Shark, Ray, Fish And Other Micros     My Extant Shark Jaw Collection

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12 hours ago, Darktooth said:

Maybe the cusps were broke or worn off?

That was my thought, looks narrow and worn.

Either way, a nice find!

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17 hours ago, Al Dente said:

Location and geology. Around Wilmington you have the Eocene Castle Hayne Formation which produces auriculatus.

I was reading a publication this morning that shows Oligocene sediments immediately below and eastward of the Wrightsville beach area. If this is correct, you might be finding both auriculatus and angustidens in the dredged material.

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