May I always find Interesting Fossils

[Shellseeker]

Up at 5 am, out hunting today, Valentine's day in the US. It was a short day hunting (3 hours to get to the site, 4 hours hunting, 3 hours to get back home).  My wife Barbara and I always have a special dinner... Ribeye Steaks, scalloped potatoes, string beans and a desert from Norman Love. Today it was a Chocolate Bomb. Bittersweet chocolate, Milk chocolate wafer, Dark and Milk  Chocolate Mousse.  It was quite impressive.  We split one. 

 

Back to Interesting fossil finds.. Here is all I found in the 4 hours.

I do not have time tonight to focus on every fossil, but there are a couple I would like you to see before I go to sleep.

The larger Astragali...

I think it is likely Hemiauchenia.  I have found fossils of both Pliocene species , macrocephala and gracilis at this site. @Harry Pristis will certainly know if it is Lamine,  Here is a picture from his gallery. A large astragali!!  My right astragali length is only 53 mm. I wonder if it is gracilis. I do not have one of those.

 

2nd Interesting fossil imbedded in matrix.. Looks easy but ... If this is an Alligator tooth with most of it's root,  that would rare.  Most of my Alligator teeth a just the enamel,  with the root long gone.

However,  take a close look at that enamel...

What is that rugosity on the enamel? and are those tiny serrations on the carina? This could mess up my ideas of differentiating factors between Alligator and Crocodile... 

@pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon @HunterLacrosse

[Al Dente]

5 hours ago, Shellseeker said:

What is that rugosity on the enamel? and are those tiny serrations on the carina? This could mess up my ideas of differentiating factors between Alligator and Crocodile

The shape is typical for alligator. Prehistoric Florida has similar ones on his website.

 

 

 

Edited February 15 by Al Dente

[Shellseeker]

2 hours ago, Al Dente said:

The shape is typical for alligator. Prehistoric Florida has similar ones on his website.

Thanks for the response.  Nate's tooth also has similar rugosity on the enamel.  I am finding this unusual compared to almost every other Alligator tooth I find,  wondering if it is a recessive gene similar to cusps on small 2 inch Megalodons.

I took a different view in this thread below: 

"On the teeth,  I think the following is slightly incorrect.  Gator usually have a single Carina or no carina.  I seems that the statement might be "Alligators at most have 1 Carina,  Crocodiles can have many Apicobasal ridges"

 

 

[minnbuckeye]

8 hours ago, Shellseeker said:

desert from Norman Love. Today it was a Chocolate Bomb. Bittersweet chocolate, Milk chocolate wafer, Dark and Milk  Chocolate Mousse.  It was quite impressive.  We split one. 

 

I see Norman Love is located in Fort Meyer. When we are visiting Florida in March, it may be worth a stop just to bring such a bomb to my lips. Oh, by the way, your fossil finds were almost as impressive as that dessert!!

[Balance]

@minnbuckeye Worth the side trip. He’s mad scientist level. He has a store in Naples too. Anytime we go to my brother-in-law‘s for the day. He always has a couple of Norman’s creations at the house for dessert.
 

Jp

[automech]

It's good you split one, Jack. You won't be able to fit in the wetsuit. 

[Shellseeker]

1 hour ago, automech said:

It's good you split one, Jack. You won't be able to fit in the wetsuit. 

You laugh , but there is a LOT of truth in your words...

[automech]

I know I shouldn't. After all the treats from Christmas, my pants have gotten snug. Can't wait for the warmer weather to sweat off the gain.

[Shellseeker]

A few other larger photos.

 

Also found a couple of broken Hemiauchenia teeth. There is likely enough to Identify

 

I try to Identify everything I find,  broken or not... good practice and adds knowledge...

 

[pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon]

On 2/15/2024 at 10:33 AM, Al Dente said:

The shape is typical for alligator. Prehistoric Florida has similar ones on his website.

 

 

 

 

I agree, this shape is indeed typical for alligator teeth. Got a couple of them in my collection as well, and they can indeed by slightly rugose in enamel, though that's just ornamental. I've always considered this type of tooth a rather odd shape for alligator, though I suspect it's a positional thing, potentially more in-line with tribodont dentition towards the back of the jaw. Also, alligators can have up to two carinae, if uncommon, as mentioned in this post:

 

 

I usually think it best to treat this morphotype as breaking the rules defining the differentiation between alligator and crocodile teeth, although the morphospace is clearly shared with other alligator morphotypes, once you're familiar with it.

 

On 2/15/2024 at 10:56 PM, Shellseeker said:

A few other larger photos.

 

Also found a couple of broken Hemiauchenia teeth. There is likely enough to Identify

 

I try to Identify everything I find,  broken or not... good practice and adds knowledge...

 

 

On 2/15/2024 at 5:15 AM, Shellseeker said:

2nd Interesting fossil imbedded in matrix.. Looks easy but ... If this is an Alligator tooth with most of it's root,  that would rare.  Most of my Alligator teeth a just the enamel,  with the root long gone.

However,  take a close look at that enamel...

 

Beautiful finds! Especially that gator-tooth, though! You've just got to love how detailed the ornamentation on the enamel still is...! 

[Shellseeker]

4 hours ago, pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon said:

I usually think it best to treat this morphotype as breaking the rules defining the differentiation between alligator and crocodile teeth, although the morphospace is clearly shared with other alligator morphotypes, once you're familiar with it.

 

I have a habit of noting and thinking about differences between finds that would be identified the same . There have always been folk tales about Alligators and Crocodiles mating,  but I believe it is not possible. Differences in the rugosity of enamel could be a recessive DNA trait.  It is good to wonder... lots of times it does not lead anywhere.