Cetacean Otolith

[Othniel C. Marsh]

Pictured below is an otolith from an indeterminate cetacean, from the Miocene of the Calvert Cliffs Formation. I've had this particular specimen in my collection for some time, but was under the impression that otoliths weren't diagnostic to any degree, but my research surrounding cetacean dentition for a dolphin tooth I plan to purchase soon has proved otherwise, so I thought it would be worth putting it to the experts. Unfortunately I can't find my ruler to provide a sense of scale for the photos, but the specimen is approximately 4cm long and 1.5cm tall.

 

 

Thanks in advance for any proposals as to the origin of the fossil
Othniel

 

 

[Fossildude19]

@Boesse

[ted coulianos]

worn dophin typmpanic bone; pretty non-descript, can't really be i.d.'d beyond that.

[Fin Lover]

Bobby has a guide on IDing ear bones at: https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2022/12/bobbys-guide-to-whale-dolphin-earbones.html?m=1

 

[Rockwood]

Bone being a key distinction. Otoliths are another thing. 

[Othniel C. Marsh]

13 hours ago, Fin Lover said:

Bobby has a guide on IDing ear bones at: https://coastalpaleo.blogspot.com/2022/12/bobbys-guide-to-whale-dolphin-earbones.html?m=1

 

Much appreciated, Fin Lover.

 

12 hours ago, Rockwood said:

Bone being a key distinction. Otoliths are another thing. 

 

I didn't know the two were distinct, but a quick Google search indicates as such. The specimen was sold as the latter, but evidently I had been misled. Thanks for pointing that out, Rockwood.

[Coco]

Hi,

 

I think the term otolith refers to bony fish.

 

Coco

[Rockwood]

1 hour ago, Coco said:

Hi,

 

I think the term otolith refers to bony fish.

 

Coco

You'd have to include us humans as bony fish. But as you know, it's not that much of a stretch. 

[Mahnmut]

Enter the smart asinine perissodactyl...

Sorry, I cannot help it.

Not a stretch at all, as cladistically we (and Cetacea) are included in bony fish, with tetrapodomorpha inside sarcopterygii... ( as you probably more subtly than me implied, Rockwood).

Otoliths are the tiny "stones" inside the vestibular organ whose reaction to gravity and other accelerations enables our sense of balance and orientation.

Cetoliths on the other hand are the part of the skull surrounding that system (Bulla tympany), homologous to the petrosal (or parts of it?), in whales unlike most other mammals not bonewise connected to the skull.

The often used term "whale earbone" is , at least in German, easy to confuse even further with the ossicles of the ear (malleus, incus and stapes, "Gehörknöchelchen") ) that improve hearing in mammals.

That otoliths are associated with fish may stem from the fact that there are otoliths in fish that are quite enormous in relation to the animal in question, making it more comon to find them as fossils or beach finds. (Actually I have never seen a mammal otolith other than in microscopic pictures and anatomical drawings.)

And I believe I remember that Coco owns a respactable collection of fish otoliths?

Best regards,

J

Edited March 22 by Mahnmut
spelling

[Rockwood]

27 minutes ago, Mahnmut said:

Enter the smart asinine perissodactyl...

I was well into the post when I finally got the translation.  

[Coco]

@Mahnmut yes, have a look on my signature

 

Coco