fossilsonwheels Posted February 14, 2021 Share Posted February 14, 2021 Catsharks comprise one of the largest extant families of shark with 160 species in 17 genera and there is a good fossil record of the family in addition. The family goes back to the Jurassic and can be found in several well known, heavily collected formations but I have found this to be a very challenging shark to collect. It is tooth that seems to stay in collections which I completely understand. They are tiny, tiny teeth and you have to be hunting for very tiny teeth to find them. They can also be very rare within a fauna which is the case with Sharktooth Hill as I have learned. Extant Catsharks appear in a variety of habitats and at varying depths. This seems to be also be true of extinct Catsharks which can be found in a variety of habitats. The opportunities exist to find cool Catshark teeth but they stay just elusive enough to make them quite a challenge to collect. Scyliorhinidae hold a special place in our collection. They were a shark that we talked about in every Fossils on Wheels shark themed program we did. One of my favorite personal finds is a Scyliorhinus I picked out of some Cretaceous micro fossil mix. I prize that 1mm tooth like few in my collection. Carter and I both believe that our Lebanese shark fossil is that of a Catshark. It is a shark that I am almost always on the lookout for and an STH Scyliorhinus is sort of my white whale lol I am pretty interested to see what Catsharks might lurk in the great collections here. I have seen some really sweet specimens here so I would invite anybody who to share to show us your awesome Catshark teeth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilsonwheels Posted February 14, 2021 Author Share Posted February 14, 2021 Our oldest Catshark tooth. Palaeoscyllium formosum Jurassic Ringstead Bay Weymouth, England A tiny tooth, under 2mm. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilsonwheels Posted February 14, 2021 Author Share Posted February 14, 2021 Here is a fun one. This tooth was a mystery to me for quite some time. I was never able to get more specific location information but there are publications that I found with teeth from the British Chalk that match very well to genus Pteroscyllium so that is my ID on this really cool little tooth. Pteroscyllium Cretaceous Grey Chalk Kent, England 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilsonwheels Posted February 14, 2021 Author Share Posted February 14, 2021 A personal find and a personal favorite. Only 1mm. Scyliorhinus sp Cretaceous Mesaverde Formation Delta County Colorado 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted February 14, 2021 Share Posted February 14, 2021 Here’s one I did a number of years back-http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/35586-a-few-catsharks-from-the-carolinas/ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilsonwheels Posted February 14, 2021 Author Share Posted February 14, 2021 45 minutes ago, Al Dente said: Here’s one I did a number of years back-http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/35586-a-few-catsharks-from-the-carolinas/ Love that thread and very helpful. I’ve looked at that a few times. You have some really great teeth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamieLynn Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 I think I just ID'd this one as Catshark from Aurora NC matrix! 2mm (do please let me know if I am incorrect in my ID) 2 www.fossil-quest.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkdoctor Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 Interesting thread! Below are a variety of cat shark teeth from the Oligocene Old Church Formation of Virginia. The only thorough manuscript on the sharks from this formation does not include any catsharks. Per Dente's thread, I've relegated them to Pachyscylium, but have no confidence in that ID for all of them, as there is significant variation in form. However, they are cute! Tooth 1. Pachyscyllium sp. scale box=5mm Tooth 2. Pachyscyllium sp. scale box=5mm Tooth 3. Pachyscyllium sp. scale box=5mm Tooth 4. Pachyscyllium sp. scale box=5mm Tooth 5. Pachyscyllium sp. scale box=5mm 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 Here's one from Morocco. Sorry about the penny for scale -- this is an early image. 2 http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted February 16, 2021 Share Posted February 16, 2021 We have some Scyliorhinidae teeth at the Miocene Montbrook site. We suspect some of the marine fossils (shark & ray teeth) may be coming from the underlying Eocene Ocala Limestone and these have not been well studied yet so we are just at the beginning in terms of taxonomy and age. Scale 0.5 mm: Here's one fresh from the picking plate: I've also found some nice ones in Cookiecutter Creek: Cheers. -Ken 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilsonwheels Posted February 17, 2021 Author Share Posted February 17, 2021 1 hour ago, digit said: We have some Scyliorhinidae teeth at the Miocene Montbrook site. We suspect some of the marine fossils (shark & ray teeth) may be coming from the underlying Eocene Ocala Limestone and these have not been well studied yet so we are just at the beginning in terms of taxonomy and age. Scale 0.5 mm: Here's one fresh from the picking plate: I've also found some nice ones in Cookiecutter Creek: Cheers. -Ken Hi Ken Those are nice Catshark teeth. Nice colors. I am glad you posted the Cookiecutter Creek examples. I found one but I promptly lost it lol Thanks for sharing !!! Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilsonwheels Posted February 17, 2021 Author Share Posted February 17, 2021 7 hours ago, sharkdoctor said: Interesting thread! Below are a variety of cat shark teeth from the Oligocene Old Church Formation of Virginia. The only thorough manuscript on the sharks from this formation does not include any catsharks. Per Dente's thread, I've relegated them to Pachyscylium, but have no confidence in that ID for all of them, as there is significant variation in form. However, they are cute! Tooth 1. Pachyscyllium sp. scale box=5mm Tooth 2. Pachyscyllium sp. scale box=5mm Tooth 3. Pachyscyllium sp. scale box=5mm Tooth 4. Pachyscyllium sp. scale box=5mm Tooth 5. Pachyscyllium sp. scale box=5mm Great specimens. Pachyscyllium seems to fit but I’m far from qualified to give ID’s lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkdoctor Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Adding this to my list above. From the Oligocene Old Church Formation. Tooth 6. Unknown catshark. scale box=5mm 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 5 hours ago, sharkdoctor said: Adding this to my list above. From the Oligocene Old Church Formation. Tooth 6. Unknown catshark. scale box=5mm Have you found any Odontaspis from the Old Church Formation? I’m guessing this is a posterior Odontaspis, or possibly some other lamniformes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteseer Posted February 17, 2021 Share Posted February 17, 2021 Yeah, cat sharks frequent deepwater habitats and it seems they always have because they are uncommon across their history. You can have a nice supply of STH concentrate and not find one. I have exactly one cat shark and one swell shark tooth from my own picking. I don't have a set-up to shoot them. I'm afraid of looking at them because I might lose them in the carpet like I did with an Eocene guitarfish once. Jess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 11 minutes ago, siteseer said: I don't have a set-up to shoot them. I'm afraid of looking at them because I might lose them in the carpet like I did with an Eocene guitarfish once. Ouch! I lost a rare species (possibly catshark) while picking Cookiecutter Creek matrix in my office. I don't remember how it jumped off my desk onto the floor--likely while I was putting it into a gelcap and it took flight and went airborne. It was basically the size of a sesame seed and I thought I'd lost it forever. Luckily, my office was NOT carpeted and I backed up slowly and grabbed a broom and dustpan. I carefully swept the entire are and, with fingers crossed, went through the sweepings. Miraculously, I recovered the tooth. Would have been out of luck if it had been shag carpeted. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteseer Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Hi Ken, Yeah, the guitarfish tooth did seem to jump and just disappeared into the background of the carpet. I crisscrossed the carpet and widened the search area with a magnifier but never found it. It's the only micro I have lost (a couple of other teeth have escaped me but they were recovered). Jess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 44 minutes ago, siteseer said: Yeah, the guitarfish tooth did seem to jump Frisky after all those millennium. I've been "bitten" by fossil shark teeth while digging at the Montbrook site. Just last week I pulled a Carcharhinus sp. tooth out of my finger while digging in the matrix. Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkdoctor Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 6 hours ago, Al Dente said: Have you found any Odontaspis from the Old Church Formation? I’m guessing this is a posterior Odontaspis, or possibly some other lamniformes. @Al Dente No Odontaspis in the Old Church as far as I can tell. I see what you mean, with the large root mass. I have many examples from the Piscataway and other earlier exposures. None have the number of cusps or the flaired apron underlying the cusps. In all cases, I remain open to the possibility and am seeking references to confirm. I am also bothered by the well preserved pores in the root. BTW, my poor photography hides the deep curvature of the root. I'm working on getting better at z stacks I aspire to your catshark thread above! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkdoctor Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Scyliorhinus cf ptychtus Paleocene Aquia Formation Liverpool Point, Maryland 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkdoctor Posted February 18, 2021 Share Posted February 18, 2021 Scyliorhinus sp Miocene Calvert Formation, bed 3b New Kent County, Virginia Scale box = 5mm Tooth 1: Tooth 2: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilsonwheels Posted March 1, 2021 Author Share Posted March 1, 2021 Scyliorhinus entomodon Eocene Muddy Creek Nanjemoy Formation Virginia Finally got around to photographing some Catshark teeth. I love the blue color on this one and a classic Eocene location. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilsonwheels Posted March 1, 2021 Author Share Posted March 1, 2021 Scyliorhinus entomodon Paleocene Phosphate Beds Ben Idir, Morocco These two teeth were hard to photograph as they are really white. The light reflects off them very brightly. I don’t have many teeth from this particular location in Morocco. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Pretty teeth. I am always surprised by fossilized shark teeth that are so white they look like they could have dropped out of the shark yesterday. You could try photographing these on a sheet of white paper. The exposure control should then pull down the brightness and reveal more detail. What are the size on these two lovelies? Cheers. -Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilsonwheels Posted March 1, 2021 Author Share Posted March 1, 2021 3 hours ago, digit said: Pretty teeth. I am always surprised by fossilized shark teeth that are so white they look like they could have dropped out of the shark yesterday. You could try photographing these on a sheet of white paper. The exposure control should then pull down the brightness and reveal more detail. What are the size on these two lovelies? Cheers. -Ken Hi Ken I tried white paper and that didn’t work any better. The micro eye only has one light source and you can’t alter the angle of the lens either so it is a limited tool. They are both around 2mm. Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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