haikuhalfwit Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 I wonder if anyone could help me identify this equid fossil. Miocene of Tonopah, Nevada, I am told. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randyw Posted March 25 Share Posted March 25 Ummmmm….im actually getting an oreodont vibe from this… but I do tend to have oreodonts on the brain… 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siteseer Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 That's a nice palate. It looks like a Merychippus-like horse. Fossillarry and Harry should take a look. It's missing a tooth on its right side like it lost it in life and the bone healed over. @fossillarry @Harry Pristis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haikuhalfwit Posted March 26 Author Share Posted March 26 Thanks! I hope that Fossillarry and Harry are willing to look at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haikuhalfwit Posted March 26 Author Share Posted March 26 If you look at the right side of the picture (the horse's left side) you can see a tooth that has fallen down such that the top of the crown is facing toward the front and the three roots are projecting out toward the back. The crown is so short that it makes me wonder if this might actually be a browsing rather than a grazing horse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balance Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 I’m just not seeing the “squiggles”. Three toed teeth have super crazy and fine detailed squiggles that these don’t. These look like regular upper teeth but I don’t know how that would fit Miocene. Definitely waiting eagerly for the experts! Jp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haikuhalfwit Posted March 26 Author Share Posted March 26 As am I!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 This is an interesting acquisition. Can you crop one of the original images to get a really good close-up of 2 or 3 of the teeth. You may need to clean out any residual matrix with a toothbrush, then make a new image of the occlusal surface. 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...
johnnyvaldez7.jv Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 I saw this online. Could be way off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haikuhalfwit Posted March 26 Author Share Posted March 26 OK, I will try to spruce it up a bit. Probably won't be able to do it until Wednesday afternoon, so please bear with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haikuhalfwit Posted March 27 Author Share Posted March 27 Hopefully, these pics will be a little better. Upper left: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haikuhalfwit Posted March 27 Author Share Posted March 27 Upper right. If you need better pics, please let me know. Also, if anyone can suggest any literature I might look for that would have information on Miocene mammalian fauna from Nevada I would appreciate it. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haikuhalfwit Posted March 27 Author Share Posted March 27 Ineerestingly, a tooth has fallen off the end of the tooth row on the upper left, presumably postmortem. On the far right in the first pic. And then a closeup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balance Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Now these look more Cervid to me. I’m gonna go in early because I can’t afford the ante to this game anyway. All my chips on Elk. 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 It's a horse for sure. Someone more familiar with the western species of early (?}Equini will have to step up. 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...
Randyw Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 Much better pictures! Great job. Definetly not oreodont LOL!. I’ll go along with horse but beyond that I can’t say Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haikuhalfwit Posted March 27 Author Share Posted March 27 OK, thanks much for your replies. Was certain it was a horse, so it is good to have that confirmed. Hopefully someone will step up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossillarry Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Wow I just saw this fossil piece on ebay. It's a young adult individual of merychipine grade horse from the Early Late Barsovian Tonopah fauna,Esmerelda County, Nevada. The specimen is missing the right upper m3 and it looks like, the M1 and M3 on the left side . as to identification. in 1875, E.D. Cope names Merychippus calamarius from the Late Miocene of New Mexico. In 1915, J. C. Merriam names Merychippus sumani and M. intermontanus from the Late Barstovian , Barstow fauna, California. In 1942, P. C. Henshaw identifies one of the horses from Tonopah as Merychippus calamarius. A number of researchers have lately, ie, R. H. Tedford et al 2002, considered M. calimarius and M. Intermontanus to be the same species, an opinion I agree with base on my collection of horse fossil from the Bastrow fauna and Tonopah fauna. In 2006 D. Pagnac created a new genus of horse, Scaphohippus for the species sumani and intermontanus. in 2021 B. E. Stoneburg et. al considered S. intermontanus and S. sumani to be the same species, with sumani having page priority being the valid name . So if the opinion of B. E. Stonrbuurg et. al. stands the test of time this fossil horse specimen from Tonopah would be called Scaphohippus sumani. A very nice fossil maxilla indeed. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haikuhalfwit Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 Wow! What erudite analysis of the specimen. I had hoped it was a merychipine since I don't have any of those in my small collection. I was amazed to find it on online auction site and even more amazed that no one else bid on it. A deep bow to you and thank you very much for your informed opinion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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