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What do you think it is?


Sanrique

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Came across this while my son and I were metal detecting. I saw some teeth in a big clump of dirt and sand so we took it home and I let it sit in water about 7 minutes and realized it was a fossil. Could anyone give me an idea what it is?

 

 

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If you could add where it was found, that would help a lot.

For one species to mourn the death of another is a new thing under the sun.
-Aldo Leopold
 

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It looks like an eohippus angustidans to me, a forest dwelling horse like creature. Was this found in Nebraska?

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Pictures looking straight down on the fossil with views of all surfaces would be helpful. 

Top, bottom, front, back, right side, left side. :) 

    Tim    VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

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1 hour ago, Rayminazzi said:

My amateur guess is tapir

It actually does resemble tapir teeth, but in Houston Texas....

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That snout and dentition is pretty conspicuous. This is a fossil tapir skull. Might be worth bringing this to your local museum for a look because this might be an important specimen.

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3 minutes ago, Sanrique said:

It actually does resemble tapir teeth, but in Houston Texas....

South American Tapirs actually originated in North America and then migrated into South America in the Plio-Pleistocene, with the closure of the Panamanian isthmus. There's a rather extensive fossil record of tapirs in North America.

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Thanks everyone for all the information. After looking through a few pics I believe Rayminazzi was correct it’s a tapir skull. 

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3 hours ago, Rayminazzi said:

My amateur guess is tapir

that's mine as well

'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'

George Santayana

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I don’t know what your knowledge/experience/ interest level is with fossils. I’m close to Houston and would be happy to help you scout the area. Feel free to send a pm.

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On 8/9/2019 at 9:49 PM, jdp said:

That snout and dentition is pretty conspicuous. This is a fossil tapir skull. Might be worth bringing this to your local museum for a look because this might be an important specimen.

I definatly agree with this. This could actually be a pretty big deal

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This is definitely worthy of Fossil of the Month. You should familiarize yourself with that part of the forum and enter it.

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Killer tapir maxilla.  Tapir material is present, but not common, throughout the eastern half of Texas.  At least that’s where I’ve found mine, and buddies have found some in N and NE TX.

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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3 hours ago, garyc said:

This is definitely worthy of Fossil of the Month. You should familiarize yourself with that part of the forum and enter it.

Thanks Gary. I’m still trying to figure how to use the site to it’s full 

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26 minutes ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

Killer tapir maxilla.  Tapir material is present, but not common, throughout the eastern half of Texas.  At least that’s where I’ve found mine, and buddies have found some in N and NE TX.

Thanks, do you have any pics of yours posted?

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Barry Albright at the Univ. of California was interested in Texas tapirs.  I don't have an email address for him, but you can probably get one if you do a Google "scholar search."

 

 

http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page

 

What seest thou else

In the dark backward and abysm of time?

---Shakespeare, The Tempest

 

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18 minutes ago, Harry Pristis said:

 

Barry Albright at the Univ. of California was interested in Texas tapirs.  I don't have an email address for him, but you can probably get one if you do a Google "scholar search."

 

 

It’s listed Here, though it seems he now works for Univ. of North Florida. He described the Texan tapir genus Nexuotapirus in the late nineties.

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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