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a few more Sharktooth Hill head-scratchers


ScottM

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I'd love some thoughts on some of these recent finds from Sharktooth Hill. Thanks in advance!

 

These ones, I think, are porcupinefish mouth plate pieces, but I have no experience with them. 

IMG-6669.JPG.79c80396cd68ad5b2d3719b4ca832f54.JPG

 

These seem like fish teeth. Parrotfish or related??? The two views are the same pieces, with interesting "toothy" parts on both surfaces. I can see the bottom pic maybe showing palatine teeth???

IMG-6666.JPG.e490fc3be0a86b800b01915964493129.JPG

 

IMG-6667.JPG.6f94df891ea8fe1e7eb4526fa821233c.JPG

 

And finally this has me totally stumped. While collecting we saved it saying, "that's gotta be something" still still don't have a clue. Bottom pic is side view.

IMG-6670.JPG.68cfb1100559ea2e50400847350184d5.JPG

 

IMG-6671.JPG.8f4335f58e5034faf38e22121a9293f2.JPG

 

IMG-6672.JPG.262319ae29e07c6489e6ba7152c4b63b.JPG

 

 

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I believe that your IDs in the first three pics are spot-on.  

 

very nice

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

George Santayana

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Thanks for the input!

The spongy-looking material in the bottom 3 pics still has me wondering. I totally agree it looks like the "marrow" inside bones, especially in that last pic showing the side view. But it seems so odd to me that the pieces are very flat and smooth on the other sides, very unlike the other bony material I've seen from this site. I can't figure out how a thin cross-section of bone marrow could come to exist like that, and be so smooth on the cut edges. I feel like I'm missing something. Any guesses? 

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Any chance the last one could be shark cartilage? That could explain the orientation. I'm not familiar with Shark Tooth Hill material at all though, so I don't know if it has been reported from there. 

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I agree that the first three group photos are pieces of porcupinefish mouth plates.  A near-complete one is an uncommon find in the STH Bonebed. 

 

The best-preserved ones I've seen have come out of the Bone Valley Formation of central Florida.

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Second and third photos look like they might be Oplegnathus - knifejaw family of fishes.

 

There didn't seem to be a way for me to link to an individual existing post, so here are some pic I posted before. The modern Cape Knifejaw grows up to about 3 feet.

 

01.jpg.c5e10fc5d649e4475b7ce371a70895a8.jpg02.jpg.a9fe24a5f89b63e969c8375f438ee985.jpg

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Thanks @isurus90064! Sure does look similar to mine.

 

Anybody think the bottom three pics could be skull bone or cartilage?

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