Shellseeker Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 As many know, I have hunted the Peace River Florida for over a decade. I love finding whale teeth and have been fortunate in finding them. I also like dolphin teeth, but the ones I find range from tiny (half inch) to small (1.25 inch). Today I found my largest dolphin tooth at 1.6 inches. It is broken but I really like it. Interestingly , it is hollow from the break to the root. So, what do we know or can surmise about the dolphin that had this tooth? Kentriodontid ? For me, this tooth at this size is really rare in the Peace River. The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Breakin' Rocks Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 58 minutes ago, Shellseeker said: So, what do we know or can surmise about the dolphin that had this tooth? Kentriodontid ? For me, this tooth at this size is really rare in the Peace River. Hi Jack .. were seals described from that area ? I'm not much use when it comes to the fauna in the area but that is one really robust tooth for a dolphin. I am constantly amazed at what you pull out of that river. Cheers, Brett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemipristis Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 I posted similar in another thread, but from LC. The consensus was indeed dolphin 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' George Santayana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 Doesn't look like seal/Sealion to me. More cetacean of sorts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted May 14, 2019 Author Share Posted May 14, 2019 15 hours ago, hemipristis said: I posted similar in another thread, but from LC. The consensus was indeed dolphin Can you give me the thread ? I am interested in trying to find a tooth that is similar size and appearance and getting an ID just a little below "dolphin". In the photo below, I also found a dolphin jaw (of a smaller dolphin???) . While thinking about the dolphin, I went back and started to analyze other finds from the day... Note the tooth above the jaw segment. I almost threw it away as a broken and battered horse tooth. I thought it was from a lower cheek, but on enlargement, discovered it to be a badly broken upper cheek tooth. The upper ridge is broken off as is the isolated protocone, but this is a very rare tooth. So far it is isolated to Florida. The length grabbed my attention. That is my left index finger and this tooth at 11.5 mm hardly fills the finger. It is identifiable JUST by size, coming from the smallest pre-Equus horse, Nannippus morgani!!! I got this response this morning from Richard Hulbert: Quote That is an unusually complicated folding on the fossettes for such a small horse. I think you are right that it preserves almost all its original length, so that when complete the length would have been in the range of 12 to 12.5 mm. At that size, the only possible Nannippus species is Nannippus morgani. All the other horses with teeth this small, such as Pseudhipparion skinneri and Calippus elachistus, have simpler fossette plications. It is too small for N. aztecus. You are right that on average N. aztecus teeth are smaller than those of N. peninsulatus, assuming you are comparing specimens from the same tooth position and worn to a similar crown height. Richard So, I have found this mangled tooth from an 8-9 million year old tiny horse and it excites me to no end. What a GREAT hobby we have. Now I am looking at all my other finds yesterday, with new respect. @jcbshark 2 The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcbshark Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 WOW, how awesome is that Jack! Congrats Every once in a great while it's not just a big rock down there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted May 15, 2019 Author Share Posted May 15, 2019 20 hours ago, Brett Breakin' Rocks said: Hi Jack .. were seals described from that area ? I'm not much use when it comes to the fauna in the area but that is one really robust tooth for a dolphin. I am constantly amazed at what you pull out of that river. Cheers, Brett After a lot of internet searches with the words "dolphin" and "teeth", this photo is the best and most closely similar... The teeth are larger , between 1.25 and 1.75 inches, the tip of the enamel ( far left tooth) seems to point away from the straight line to the roots, and Kentriodontidae long beaked dolphins have definitely been found in Bone Valley -- Peace River Florida. My Thanks to Harry... 1 The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemipristis Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 6 hours ago, Shellseeker said: Can you give me the thread ? I am interested in trying to find a tooth that is similar size and appearance and getting an ID just a little below "dolphin". Here ya go: 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' George Santayana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted May 15, 2019 Share Posted May 15, 2019 Very cool tiny horse tooth, Jack. Funny that it was the thing that stood out for me in the group shot above. I was like nice Hemis, cool jaw and whale tooth but look at that tiny horse molar. I do know how to focus on the treasures. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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